Two boys take part in a Georgia high school walkout demonstration demanding state leaders "protect kids, not guns" on September 20, 2024.
After Georgia Shooting, Students Walk Out Demanding 'Future Free From Gun Violence'
Organizer March for Our Lives said the statewide walkouts "speak to the urgency and frustration young people feel after yet another shooting has been met with only 'thoughts and prayers.'"
Joined by educators, parents, and gun control advocates, thousands of Georgia students on Friday staged a classroom walkout organized by the youth-led March for Our Lives "to demand a future free from gun violence" following the September 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, the deadliest such event in the state's history.
March for Our Lives (MFOL)—which was founded in the wake of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—said that Friday's walkouts "speak to the urgency and frustration young people feel after yet another shooting has been met with only 'thoughts and prayers.'"
Two Apalachee students—Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both age 14—and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie were shot dead by a 14-year-old armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle. Nine others were wounded in the attack.
The shooter was arrested and charged with four counts of murder. His father, Colin Gray, was also arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children for purchasing the gun used in the shooting and giving it to his son.
"Across Georgia, Republican leaders—like those who control the majority on the Cobb Board of Education and both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly—refuse to take commonsense action to protect our communities and our lives from preventable gun violence," MFOL said.
The group continued:
We will never allow our elected officials to forget the senseless act of violence that could have been prevented at Apalachee High School. We will honor the lives of Cristina Irimie, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, and Richard Aspinwall with action. Everyone has the fundamental right to feel safe in our schools and our communities, and we will continue to fight until that freedom is a reality for all.
Guns are the No. 1 killer of children and teens in our country, and far too many educators and students go to school with the daily fear that their community could be next. This failure is a choice that our leaders are making for us. Today, we join organizers and students from over 30 high schools all across Georgia in calling on Gov. Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones, and the Georgia General Assembly to commit their support for the passage of the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act at the start of the 2025 legislative session.
"The Georgia General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp, the sad truth is that they have made us feel less safe," said Saif Hasan, a senior at Lambert High School and county organizing deputy director at the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition who led hundreds of students in a walkout on Friday.
"This weekend, we're going to be out knocking doors in Suwanee, Roswell, and East Cobb to help elect new leaders who will build the future we deserve," Hasan added. "We're going to be out talking to Georgians about safe storage to make sure kids my age are never scared to go to school."
Apalachee High School junior Sasha Contreras said during a Friday walkout rally in Gwinnett that "I wasn't going to speak today but seeing and hearing everyone's courage in showing up today and taking action made me realize that my voice was important."
"There is nothing being done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. As a student that has [Advanced Placement] exams at the end of the school year as well as leadership positions, I understand the importance of going back to school," Contreras added. "However, many of my peers including myself feel anxious about returning with no preventative measures in place."
March for Our Lives director of organizing Gaby Salazar said that "we are so proud to support this student-led action, but heartbroken that we keep having to walk out of our classes again and again to get our leaders to listen to us."
"Guns kill more kids than any other cause in the state of Georgia," Salazar added. "More than cancer, more than car accidents. Even though a sweeping majority of Americans support commonsense gun laws, we know it's an uphill battle to convince state lawmakers to value our lives over the gun lobby's money. But young people in Georgia will not stop fighting until gun violence is a relic of the past."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Joined by educators, parents, and gun control advocates, thousands of Georgia students on Friday staged a classroom walkout organized by the youth-led March for Our Lives "to demand a future free from gun violence" following the September 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, the deadliest such event in the state's history.
March for Our Lives (MFOL)—which was founded in the wake of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—said that Friday's walkouts "speak to the urgency and frustration young people feel after yet another shooting has been met with only 'thoughts and prayers.'"
Two Apalachee students—Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both age 14—and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie were shot dead by a 14-year-old armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle. Nine others were wounded in the attack.
The shooter was arrested and charged with four counts of murder. His father, Colin Gray, was also arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children for purchasing the gun used in the shooting and giving it to his son.
"Across Georgia, Republican leaders—like those who control the majority on the Cobb Board of Education and both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly—refuse to take commonsense action to protect our communities and our lives from preventable gun violence," MFOL said.
The group continued:
We will never allow our elected officials to forget the senseless act of violence that could have been prevented at Apalachee High School. We will honor the lives of Cristina Irimie, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, and Richard Aspinwall with action. Everyone has the fundamental right to feel safe in our schools and our communities, and we will continue to fight until that freedom is a reality for all.
Guns are the No. 1 killer of children and teens in our country, and far too many educators and students go to school with the daily fear that their community could be next. This failure is a choice that our leaders are making for us. Today, we join organizers and students from over 30 high schools all across Georgia in calling on Gov. Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones, and the Georgia General Assembly to commit their support for the passage of the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act at the start of the 2025 legislative session.
"The Georgia General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp, the sad truth is that they have made us feel less safe," said Saif Hasan, a senior at Lambert High School and county organizing deputy director at the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition who led hundreds of students in a walkout on Friday.
"This weekend, we're going to be out knocking doors in Suwanee, Roswell, and East Cobb to help elect new leaders who will build the future we deserve," Hasan added. "We're going to be out talking to Georgians about safe storage to make sure kids my age are never scared to go to school."
Apalachee High School junior Sasha Contreras said during a Friday walkout rally in Gwinnett that "I wasn't going to speak today but seeing and hearing everyone's courage in showing up today and taking action made me realize that my voice was important."
"There is nothing being done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. As a student that has [Advanced Placement] exams at the end of the school year as well as leadership positions, I understand the importance of going back to school," Contreras added. "However, many of my peers including myself feel anxious about returning with no preventative measures in place."
March for Our Lives director of organizing Gaby Salazar said that "we are so proud to support this student-led action, but heartbroken that we keep having to walk out of our classes again and again to get our leaders to listen to us."
"Guns kill more kids than any other cause in the state of Georgia," Salazar added. "More than cancer, more than car accidents. Even though a sweeping majority of Americans support commonsense gun laws, we know it's an uphill battle to convince state lawmakers to value our lives over the gun lobby's money. But young people in Georgia will not stop fighting until gun violence is a relic of the past."
Joined by educators, parents, and gun control advocates, thousands of Georgia students on Friday staged a classroom walkout organized by the youth-led March for Our Lives "to demand a future free from gun violence" following the September 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, the deadliest such event in the state's history.
March for Our Lives (MFOL)—which was founded in the wake of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—said that Friday's walkouts "speak to the urgency and frustration young people feel after yet another shooting has been met with only 'thoughts and prayers.'"
Two Apalachee students—Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both age 14—and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie were shot dead by a 14-year-old armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle. Nine others were wounded in the attack.
The shooter was arrested and charged with four counts of murder. His father, Colin Gray, was also arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children for purchasing the gun used in the shooting and giving it to his son.
"Across Georgia, Republican leaders—like those who control the majority on the Cobb Board of Education and both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly—refuse to take commonsense action to protect our communities and our lives from preventable gun violence," MFOL said.
The group continued:
We will never allow our elected officials to forget the senseless act of violence that could have been prevented at Apalachee High School. We will honor the lives of Cristina Irimie, Christian Angulo, Mason Schermerhorn, and Richard Aspinwall with action. Everyone has the fundamental right to feel safe in our schools and our communities, and we will continue to fight until that freedom is a reality for all.
Guns are the No. 1 killer of children and teens in our country, and far too many educators and students go to school with the daily fear that their community could be next. This failure is a choice that our leaders are making for us. Today, we join organizers and students from over 30 high schools all across Georgia in calling on Gov. Brian Kemp, Lieutenant Gov. Burt Jones, and the Georgia General Assembly to commit their support for the passage of the Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act at the start of the 2025 legislative session.
"The Georgia General Assembly and Gov. Brian Kemp, the sad truth is that they have made us feel less safe," said Saif Hasan, a senior at Lambert High School and county organizing deputy director at the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition who led hundreds of students in a walkout on Friday.
"This weekend, we're going to be out knocking doors in Suwanee, Roswell, and East Cobb to help elect new leaders who will build the future we deserve," Hasan added. "We're going to be out talking to Georgians about safe storage to make sure kids my age are never scared to go to school."
Apalachee High School junior Sasha Contreras said during a Friday walkout rally in Gwinnett that "I wasn't going to speak today but seeing and hearing everyone's courage in showing up today and taking action made me realize that my voice was important."
"There is nothing being done to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. As a student that has [Advanced Placement] exams at the end of the school year as well as leadership positions, I understand the importance of going back to school," Contreras added. "However, many of my peers including myself feel anxious about returning with no preventative measures in place."
March for Our Lives director of organizing Gaby Salazar said that "we are so proud to support this student-led action, but heartbroken that we keep having to walk out of our classes again and again to get our leaders to listen to us."
"Guns kill more kids than any other cause in the state of Georgia," Salazar added. "More than cancer, more than car accidents. Even though a sweeping majority of Americans support commonsense gun laws, we know it's an uphill battle to convince state lawmakers to value our lives over the gun lobby's money. But young people in Georgia will not stop fighting until gun violence is a relic of the past."