A week after the terrifying Evergreen High School shooting, which left two injured, Denver high school students held a rally at the Colorado State Capitol, demanding tougher action to prevent gun violence.
The rally was organized by local chapters of Students Demand Action, which is a national organization that advocates for gun violence prevention. The event started with several speeches on the Capitol steps, then a march through nearby streets, and ended with students coming back for closing remarks.
Students Rally Following Evergreen High School Shooting
A senior at George Washington High School, Diego Holguin, who is co-president of the school's Students Demand Action chapter, said that lawmakers should be held accountable for the frequency of school shootings.
Holguin said that it is the responsibility of state, federal, and executive legislators to try and tell the people how they are going to make changes. The student added that while legislators did join the rally, it was still frustrating to know that gun violence remains a partisan issue instead of a non-partisan one, according to KUNC.
Another senior at the same school, Avett Proctor, said that they are now scared to even go to school, as it could be their last time saying goodbye to their loved ones. The student said they go there to learn, not to get shot.
There were also students from Denver's East High School who spoke at the rally, including its Student Demand Action co-president, Grant Cramer. He said that it was "ridiculous" that there is no assault weapons ban in Colorado despite a Democratic majority in the state legislature.
The recent school shooting prompted an outpouring of support from residents all across Evergreen. At Cactus Jack's Saloon, which is a local gathering spot, employees paused their daily routines to reflect and show solidarity to the victims, 9News reported.
A Terrifying Incident
A server at the saloon, Jesse Bitterly, said that the tragedy felt far too familiar, noting that her phone started to get all kinds of group messages from co-workers and friends. They were letting her know what happened at the school.
The Evergreen High School shooting involved a 16-year-old who entered the school on Sept. 10 and started shooting inside and outside the institution. The gunman injured two students before he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.
One of the victims was identified as Matthew Silverstone, whose uncle talked about the 18-year-old's recovery from the attack. He said that there was so much more to his nephew than being the victim of a shooting incident, as per CBS News.
