When these Dallas students first heard that the NRA was coming to town, they were pissed. But then they saw an opportunity.
StudentsMarch.org, a group of high-school and college students who first came together for the March For Our Lives in Dallas, decided to keep up the momentum and organize another rally demanding universal background checks. The Rally4Reform was held outside city hall, a few streets away from the the NRA leadership and gun enthusiasts attending the annual convention.
These students know how Texas feels about its guns; they grew up here. So they decided that they were going to push for a simple, “common sense” solution, something that they claim 97% of voting Americans already support.
“Surely, if you’re a good guy with a gun, then you don’t mind going through a universal background check,” said Waed Alhayek, the 19-year-old executive director of the organization.
To these students, who’ve experienced gun violence first-hand and were inspired by the brave voices from Parkland, the fight has only just begun. They’re taking it to the November elections and identifying the politicians who stand with them—and those who don’t. And they are determined to vote out the latter.