Even Gun Owners Call for Stricter Laws in Saturday’s March for Our Lives

Last Saturday’s March for Lives, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people across the USA and in various places around the world, may yet become a game changer in the reform of laws pertaining to gun ownership in the US. The protest was organized in the wake of the Parkland school shooting on February 14, which claimed the lives of 17 students and teachers.

The shooting sparked a fresh wave of indignation against the availability and easy access to assault rifles, as well as cries for safety in America’s schools. What sets this fresh move apart is that it is led through initiatives of students themselves.

The National Rifle Association (NRA), a large and influential organization that advocates for gun rights, has claimed in the past that gun owners are content with existing laws and will not fight for their revision. However, gun owners who joined the March for Lives say otherwise, and  now they are lifting up their voices to advocate for gun control.

In a video from the protest made by media outfit, Now This, several of those gun owners expressed their opinions.

“Nobody’s talking about banning shotguns or hunting rifles. They’re talking about military guns. My kids need to get through hours and hours of training to drive a car. Yet nobody needs training to buy these assault guns,” said one gun owner.

Another claimed that hunters are “well-situated to be in the middle of this argument.” Because he has seen these weapons and ammunition closely, he knows that people do not need high powered weapons. He said, “The reason that I’m out here today is because the NRA and other groups like them hold hunters up as an excuse to not regulate firearms any further.”

He then called out NRA executive vice president Wayne La Pierre, saying “You don’t speak for hunters, and you don’t speak for me.”

Mr. LaPierre, a longtime gun rights lobbyist, advocated for armed guards in schools after the fatal shootings not only in Parkland, but also at Sandy Hook in 2011, where 28 people were killed by a lone gunman. Among the 28 were 20 students who were in Grade 1.

In a lighting round in the Now This video, a gun owner was asked,

“Do you support background checks? Do you support banning assault weapons? Do you support banning high capacity magazines? Do you support gun licensing? Do you support gun training? Do you support having a registry of guns?”

Without hesitation, he answered in the affirmative to every singe question.

However, not every gun owner is in agreement with stricter gun laws. Some gun owners believe that gun safety is key to keeping people unharmed. They feel that better gun education is in order, as well as identifying people who exhibit behaviors that could pose a danger to others.

The video from Now This can be found here.