Amari Gaston drove to the nation’s capital last week to join the largest youth protest in Washington since the Vietnam War era.
But the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute junior and Tech Tigers point guard said the March for Our Lives rally for expanded gun control is just the first step.
“I wanted to be there with kids my age to call for stricter gun laws,” he said. “But now it’s our job to spread the word.”
Gaston was one of an estimated 800,000 protesters who heeded the call by student survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, where 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.
Like many of the teen speakers, Gaston said he favors an assault weapons ban, raising the age to own a gun to 21, and tighter background checks. He’s also opposed to “bump stocks,” an attachment that enables a semiautomatic rifle to fire rapidly, and assault weapons.
The students are speaking
Emmanuel Carcamo, a 15-year-old Lynn Classical High School student, agrees. He won’t rest until the age to own a gun is raised, assault weapons are outlawed, and guns are kept from anyone who uses drugs, he said.
Classical freshman Christian Alquinta, 14, said lawmakers must stand up to the National Rifle Association, the nation’s preeminent gun rights organization comprised of more than 5 million members.
“Congress is getting pushed around,” he said. “The NRA might be politically active, but so are we, and our numbers are larger. We just can’t keep this gun violence alive, it must stop.”
Classical sophomore Juliana Aguirre, 15, said if there’s another protest, more schools should join the march.
“No one knows which school will be targeted next,” she said. “If all the other schools come together, it will show everyone how much we care about this and Congress will take notice.”
Classical sophomore Charlene Cahill, 15, said people of all ages should get involved to prevent school violence.
“It’s unacceptable that kids are getting hurt and killed for just attending school,” she said.
At St. Mary’s, junior Mark Niboh said no one outside the military needs an assault weapon.
“If you need a gun to protect your home, a handgun is enough,” said the 16-year-old.
Greyson Pane, also a St. Mary’s student, said students need to be in the faces of lawmakers until there’s change.
“Let’s continue to protest until they have the courage to put more restrictions on guns,” he said. “We should not stop until Congress acts.”
Rachel May, Saugus High School’s valedictorian, said keeping the conversation going about stricter gun laws is critical.
“I don’t foresee anyone giving up on this issue until a solution is reached that makes us feel safe at school,” she said. “In the end, getting to the polls and voting for the candidates we believe will make the changes we want is extremely important.”
The adults are listening
Former Lynn Mayor J. Warren Cassidy, who also served as executive vice president of the NRA, said he would support a compromise that broadened background checks, banned bump stocks and raised age of gun ownership to 21. But he rejects prohibiting the sale of military-style weapons that he uses for trap shooting.
“But let me be clear, the essence of anti-gun groups is to ban the private ownership of firearms,” Cassidy said. “They want to go the way of Australia.”
In 1996, a 28-year-old man drove his Volvo to a tourist spot in Port Arthur, Australia, and opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon. He killed 35 people and wounded 18 others. Within weeks of the tragedy, lawmakers banned semi-automatic and other military-style weapons across the country. There hasn’t been a mass shooting in Australia since.
Anthony Pierantozzi, superintendent of Nahant Public Schools and a gun owner, disagrees with Cassidy’s assessment.
“I do not believe the goal of protesters is to disarm law-abiding Americans,” he said. “There’s a difference between owning a gun and owning a rapid-fire military grade weapon. Students have awakened our moral conscience and our common sense.”
Revere Police Chief James Guido said many of the changes in gun legislation students are seeking are already in effect in Massachusetts. Gun owners must be 21, and bump stocks and assault weapons have been banned.
“Massachusetts has among the strictest gun laws in the county and these students want to extend them nationwide,” he said. “It’s clear to me this student movement is having a huge impact. People are fed up with gun violence. I don’t know if they can convince Congress to enact all the changes they want, but half a loaf is better than none.”
Peabody School Committeewoman Brandi Carpenter said she was proud of the students who marched. But she fears the hard work of the students may not pay off.
“People will still be able to access guns somehow, some way,” she said. “I’m so truly sorry that we have to be reactive to something rather than proactive. We have to lobby for more money to secure our buildings and that’s another sad statement.”
Carpenter said she hopes the movement begun by the students does not fall on deaf ears.
The hard work of the protesters is exemplified by Kirsten Crowe, a student at Peabody High School who helped organize a walkout earlier this month.
“I am no longer asking for change and hoping it happens,” she told the students. “I am demanding change.”
Crowe said steps must be taken to have federally-mandated restrictions on firearms, including a three-day waiting period for background checks, mental health evaluations for those wishing to own guns, and a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
Last week, hundreds of Swampscott High School students walked out of class in solidarity with Parkland, Fla., students.
State Rep. Lori Ehrlich (D-Marblehead), who was invited to speak to the protesters, said students should feel safe at school, not like soft targets.
“The students were the stars: thoughtful, passionate, poetic, and not backing down,” she wrote on Facebook.” It was such a moving program with one flowering bulb for each Parkland victim …”
State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) who also spoke, said he was inspired by the student-led protest.
“We heard directly from young people who said their time in school has been marked by lockdown drills and tragic headlines,” he said. “Clearly, they have been impacted and are motivated to convince Congress to make changes.”
In Lynnfield, more than 300 students exited the high school to support the Parkland school community. They joined the #NationalSchoolWalkout which asked schools nationwide to let Congress know more is needed to be done to stop gun violence in our schools.
Marblehead High School was represented last Saturday on the Boston Common with the Hub’s version of March For Our Lives. They held signs that read: “How Many More?” and “Thoughts And Prayers Are Not Enough.”
Material from Associated Press was used in this report.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected].
