More than a thousand people flooded onto the streets of downtown Syracuse in solidarity with the “March for Our Lives” protests across the country on Saturday.
The rallies were started by students calling for more gun control after the Parkland Florida high school shooting. Sophomore Will Guisbond of Jamesville-Dewitt High School helped organize the protest in Syracuse and said attendance exceeded their expectations.
“Gun violence, and just overall violence in our community, is a really big problem that we need to address now, “ Guisbond said. “The wait is over. The time has come for us to push for new legislation and make a stand.”
Hannah Carroll is a 17-year-old student at Paul V. Moore High School in Central Square. She said she does not want to see any more kids her age die without fulfilling their lives.
“I’d like there to be more gun reforms,” Carroll said. “I think people that are my age should not be able to obtain a gun, let alone an AR-15. Those weapons are designed to kill. I don’t think that should be in anyone’s hands besides the military and armed forces.”
A wide range of people called for a ban on assault weapons, including Andrew Philip, a veteran and a physician in Syracuse.
“My opinions are my own as a private citizen,” Philip said. “I believe that there is no place in our society for weapons of war in the hands of civilians. I think it’s reasonable for people to own guns and I support responsible gun ownership. But I don’t think there is any purpose that a weapon like an AR-15 can serve for a civilian.”
Mary Ellen Mangino of Syracuse also agreed with banning assault weapons.
"I came out because I have two teenagers at home who deserve to be safe when they are in school and safe from the kind of violence that is taking over the country," Mangino said.
Protesters marched past Syracuse City Hall where Mayor Ben Walsh and other city employees cheered them on. Some signs from demonstrators read shame on central New York Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus), who has been criticized by some liberals for accepting campaign donations from the National Rifle Association.
Demonstrators marched to the federal building in Syracuse, where students voiced their frustration with lawmakers and demanded action on gun reform. They read a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo who congratulated students across the country and said they are showing more leadership than the so-called leaders in Washington.
