High school and college students across Springfield, including at Kickapoo and Central High Schools, Missouri State University and Drury University, are planning to take part in an event next month to push for common sense changes to gun laws. SGF Walkout for Our Lives, will be held Friday, March 23, in response to the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The walkout is being organized by Team Millennial, a breakout group of the Southwest Missouri branch of the National Organization for Women.
A student ambassador at each participating school is working to coordinate his or her school’s event.
Grace Laflen, student ambassador at Kickapoo High School, says she hopes they inspire students in other communities to stand up and keep the momentum of the movement going.
According to a news release from Team Millennial, students will be encouraged to write letters to Missouri legislators, and those old enough will be given voter registration cards and encouraged to register to vote.
The goal, according to Team Millennial, is for SGF Walkout for Our Lives to be "a catalyst for bipartisan common sense gun legislation," such as tighter background checks and reduced access to automatic weapons.
The Friday, March 23, event will be followed on Saturday, March 24, by the March for Our Lives rally in downtown Springfield, which also will advocate for stronger gun laws.
