Local

Boston March for Our Lives rally draws thousands

BOSTON — Thousands rallied in Boston Saturday to put an end to gun violence.

The group March For Our Lives organized rallies like this one across the country this weekend.

They started this movement in 2018 following the Parkland School shooting.

“My generation, the generation that has lived through these active shooter drills, through these school shootings, is growing up and we’re leading the charge – we’re becoming eligible to vote, some of us are running for office and we are not shutting up or going away,” said Justin Meszler, an organizer with March for Our Lives.

The push is for stricter gun laws like universal background checks, raising the age to 21 to own a gun, and banning assault rifles.

“Every time there’s a shooting, Columbine gets referenced and that kind of cuts the wound open again,” said Elissa Bean, a Columbine High School graduate.

She says she wasn’t at the high school during the mass shooting in 1999, but her sister was there.

“She was fine, you know, but there were a lot of lives lost, and there were a lot of lives lost after. The ripple effects of gun violence aren’t just that one day – we had suicides, we had bomb threats that completely displaced our education for a day,” said Bean.

Bean is now a mom of three and says she can’t believe school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas are still happening.

Jackson Hurley was 12 when the Sandy Hook School shooting happened.

“My parents sat me and my sister down and said this is something that will never happen again, and obviously the fact that we’re standing here a decade later is proof that nothing has really changed,” said Hurley, political director for Voters of Tomorrow.

With a huge turnout like Saturday’s and many fired up and devastated over the latest school shooting – organizers are hoping rallies like this will actually spark a change for gun laws.

“This time really is different in the sense that people aren’t willing to stay home and let the system keep perpetuating itself,” said Hurley.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW