- Press Release
March For Our Lives Statement on Apalachee High School Shooting
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“We’re horrified that back to school increasingly means back to school shootings. Let’s not forget: Gun violence is a preventable tragedy. It’s time for action, now.”
New York, NY — Today, the American nightmare played out once again at Apalachee High School, in Widner, Georgia. Our voices grow hoarse, but we’ll say it again: Enough. Our hearts go out to the young people who cowered in fear today in Georgia, and for those who were killed and stolen from us. We know it is cold comfort to say, but we are holding them and their families close to our hearts.
Back to school in America should be a time for students to focus on learning, not lockdowns; where students should be running on the playground, not from bullets; and where teacher’s only responsibility should be to teach. Our leaders have failed Apalachee High School today.
Children and young people across America know the fear and terror playing out in Georgia today too well. Thousands of us are killed every year because of gun violence. Just days ago, a shooting at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn, NY shattered what should have been a celebratory festival, killing one and injuring five. A terrifying shooting at a train station in Chicago turned public transit, something millions of kids use to get to and from school every day, into a place of danger. America, we are dying, and we are demanding action.
Governor Kemp today said that he would direct all state resources to respond to the shooting at Apalachee High School, but once again, it’s too late and lives are already lost. It’s not enough to just react to a shooting, we must focus on prevention. Will he fight for commonsense gun safety legislation and direct all state resources to prevent the next shooting? Will he disavow his endorsement and A+ rating from the NRA? And will he finally take ownership and use his power to ensure our schools are safe, rather than flooding them with police while still forcing students and teachers to fend for themselves? Young people in Georgia deserve better.
“Back to school should mean new beginnings—a time for fresh notebooks, new friendships, and the excitement of learning. But in America today, it often means returning to fear,” said Natalie Fall, Executive Director of March For Our Lives. “The start of a new school year should bring excitement for what lies ahead, but instead students are left with the grim reality of lockdown drills, metal detectors, and the haunting possibility that their school could be the next target of senseless violence. The American dream of education and opportunity has been overshadowed by an American nightmare where classrooms have become battlegrounds. It’s time for Congress to act and protect young people with solutions that prevent this violence before it happens.”
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