Since the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School that happened on February 14, taking the lives of seventeen children, the issue of gun reform has been a greatly debated topic. It has sparked a new demand for action and many advocates have been inspired by the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas shooting who have spoken out all over the media. They formed a group called ‘Never Again MSD’ that helped plan the March for Our Lives event that took place on March 24th.

Over 800 cities around the nation and the world held a march in solidarity with the March for Our Live’s mission statement. Some of the thousands of people marching around the world could be found in London, Madrid, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and Mumbai. In the States, an estimated 200,000 to possibly 800,000 people attended the march in D.C. and 300,000 people marched in New York.

Despite the poor weather in St. Louis, about 12,000 people came out to support the cause and march. In the downtown area, participants marched a ten block route starting from Union Station. Speakers like Bruce Franks Jr., who serves in the Missouri House of Representatives, and Liesl Fressola, who is a Sandy Hook survivor, spoke at the event.

The March for Our Lives planners have spoken out in support of the Nation Student Walkout which took place on April 20, on the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. A local branch of Student’s Demand Action worked hard in St. Louis to plan a protest on April 20 in front of Josh Hawley’s office, the Missouri Attorney General who is endorsed by the NRA and is the presumptive Republican nominee for Senate.