Local Students Join National School Walkout Calling For Stricter Gun Control
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Students across the country, including in Maryland, marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High shooting by walking out of school to call for stricter gun control.
From Maryland to Connecticut, thousands of students streamed out of schools to shine a spotlight on gun reform.
At Catonsville High School in Baltimore, hundreds of students are part of the movement, begging for stricter gun laws and a sense of relief in the halls.
"We shouldn't be walking the halls in fear. We should be walking the halls to learn," one student told WJZ's Rick Ritter.
The call was echoed across the region on the anniversary of the Columbine tragedy.
RELATED: Day Of Service, No Walkout At Columbine On 19th Anniversary
A sea of students gathered at Patapsco High School, Gaithersburg and in Fairfax, all banding together.
"It's hard to not get emotional, because what if that was us? What if that was our school? What if that happened to us, what would we do?" another student said.
Some students even marched off school property.
"Students are so concerned with guns in our schools that we're willing to risk disciplinary action to get our message through," one boy said.
The youth is making a statement like never before.
"When people say, 'Guns don't kill people, people do,' that's the biggest lie that you can be told,"
Refusing to live in fear and let another school massacre rattle the country.
"Today is about being proactive and empowered, and really funneling that energy and anger that we have as young people into some productive change," a girl said.
There were many school districts that were not on board with protests. Carroll County Public Schools told its students it was unacceptable if they participated.
RELATED: Carroll County Changes Attitude, Bars Students From Walkout
It's the third nationwide protest since the shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The shooting at Columbine left 13 people dead in Littleton, Colorado.
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