Republican Speaker of the U.S. House Paul Ryan is leaving office at the end of his present term, but that doesn’t mean that he is going to be able to escape accountability for his party’s relentless support for guns.
On Friday, after a shooting at a high school in Texas that left ten people dead, a small group of students assembled outside Ryan’s office in Washington D.C. and staged a “lie-in” protest.
The group included eight members of Montgomery County Students for Gun Control from nearby Maryland.
17-year-old Daniel Gelillo, who is a member of the organization but did not attend the protest, explained the students’ actions to HuffPost Friday as follows:
‘This is an issue we all care about deeply, and we’re all incredibly frustrated and saddened by the losses suffered in Texas today. We want to see change, and we want to see it sooner rather than later.’
The time for mobilization is now. It’s time to put an end to this senseless violence once and for all. My friends were willing to put themselves on the line for this, so it’s time to act.
I’m sure you’ll hear more soon. #GunControlNow #EnoughIsEnough pic.twitter.com/cMorKnGQk4— Daniel Gelillo (@Vote_For_Dan) May 18, 2018
The Maryland students are certainly not alone in aiming to see change in the way that the nation handles guns. There has been a surge in student activism since a high profile school shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, earlier this year.
One of the survivors of that shooting who has himself helped lead advocacy efforts — David Hogg — expressed support for the students protesting Friday in D.C.
I love these kids almost as much as @SpeakerRyan loves arresting students practicing their First Amendment rights to peacefully protest. #AllowTheVote https://t.co/PXvmfbrJpl
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) May 18, 2018
As students and their allies around the country continue to make their voices heard, Americans continue to suffer, with thousands having lost their lives to gun violence this year alone.
