By Mercer Sullivan

Just seven months after the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students began rallying to spread the word on gun control on their summer tour called “Road to Change”.

   According to CNN, survivors of the shooting made 50 stops in 20 states over the past two months aiming to educate people on gun reform and looking to end gun violence in America.    

   Students, including Stoneman Douglas High School survivor Emma Gonzalez, visited every congressional district in Florida making their points clear for new gun laws.

   “… Universal/comprehensive background checks, searchable database for gun owners, funding the CDC to research gun violence, banning high capacity semi automatic weapons,” said Gonzalez.

   Gonzalez was adamant about these changes being made. She and her classmates are looking for a safer future for American students in and out of the classroom.

  Like many around the country, Civics teacher Cristofer Wiley was deeply inspired by students willing to stand up for what they believe in.

   Wiley is an advocate for gun reform, even going as far as to write to our elected officials to protect his students and fellow teachers.

   “I thought that it was particularly inspiring to see students who have been absolutely directly affected by tragedy and turn that tragedy into some kind of momentum,” Wiley said.  “I think it’s great when young people defy the stereotype of being uninterested and unwilling to take a stand for much.”

   Sophomore Caroline Kindsvater believes that more people should get involved in the fight for gun control.

 “I think the government should pay more attention to it, and make it a bigger deal,” Kindsvater said. “Even though people gain a lot of money from it [guns], they should think more about people’s lives and not the money they are making.”

   Parkland students ended up making a visit to Greensboro, NC on August 1st. Hundreds gathered to take a stand on gun laws and support the Parkland students. The event included musicians, food trucks, movement merchandise and even a voter registration booth.

   Despite the thousands of people in support of this rally, there were some protesting at the event. North Carolina house candidate Peter Boykin had rallied a group across the street with “Make America Great Again” banners according to the Greensboro News and Record. Nancy Browning was part of the opposing demonstration.

   “We are here to support our Second Amendment,” Browning said.

   She was not alone in this protest, but many thought they were certainly overshadowed by the Road to Change tour.

Photo Provided by Creative Commons