Talk of gun violence has graced many front, opinion and nation pages in newspapers across the country since a 19-year-old killed 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14.
On Saturday afternoon, about 50 community members brought the discussion to the streets of Soldotna, walking along the Kenai Spur Highway to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building on North Binkley Street as part of the national March for Our Lives rally.
Different March for Our Lives events happened throughout the United States, with thousands descending on Washington D.C. and other major cities, as well as small towns and communities, with a call to action for legislators to support stricter gun laws.
“I’m frustrated with the rhetoric,” Daniel Bowen said as he walked along Binkley Street on Saturday. “People talk about guns in schools and trying to arm teachers, which is addressing the symptom of the problem and not actually addressing the problem. Nothing gets done because people say that we’re coming to take guns even that’s not our message at all.”
Ralliers along the streets of Soldotna called for many things such as universal background checks, restrictions on assault guns and change. School aged children walked alongside their parents holding signs that called for their children’s safety in the classroom while another sign called for a simple act — “Register to vote! Make a difference.”
“We’re just trying to make it more safe, to fix gun safety laws,” said eight-year-old Ben Brighton as he held a sign that read “#NEVERAGAIN.”
Reach Kat Sorensen at ksorensen@peninsulaclarion.com
Daniel Bowen walks along North Binkley Street with his son Zachary on his back to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna on Saturday as part of the national March for Our Lives rally, which took place in cities and towns across the country in support of gun control laws. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Susan Smalley walks Christ Lutheran Church, along the Kenai Spur Highway, to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna on Saturday as part of the national March for Our Lives rally, which took place in cities and towns across the country in support of gun control laws. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
