By Kara Thompson
Atlanta. Boulder, Colorado. Virginia Beach, Virginia. Orange, California. Bryan, Texas.
Dozens of people have been killed in mass shootings in less than a month, and these five towns are just a few of the sites where lives were taken.
Gun violence has been brought to the forefront of public concern once again after these recent mass shootings. People across the country have responded with a cry for stricter gun regulations and University of Maryland students are among those who want to see some real change in legislation.
The university chapter of March for Our Lives, a movement founded by Parkland, Florida, students after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, is pushing for tighter restrictions on guns.
“As an organization and a chapter we are calling for stricter gun laws and more recognition of the role of guns. The recent shootings show that guns are used to harm others and take life and that proper registration, background checks, processes and training must be enacted by lawmakers now,” said Oluyinka Akinola, president of March for Our Lives UMD.
Other students also said that laws regarding guns and gun use should be updated in response to events like these tragedies.
“The way the second amendment is used today is not consistent with its intended meaning,” said Logan Delavan-Hoover, a freshman economics and information science major.
Akinola said she had not seen much action besides petitions and emails. She believes that the lack of action on the part of UMD students is partially due to COVID-19.
“The pandemic has taken a lot out of everyone and is emotionally, physically and mentally draining for a lot of people. It is hard to connect with other students who are passionate about the issue at times, especially since there are several things happening at once that people also care about,” she said.
In the future, Akinola hopes for more activity on the part of the club and students in general.
Madelyn Jamsa, a junior environmental science and public policy double major, is one student who did start a fundraiser. She said she was shaken by the recent shootings in Atlanta and wanted to do something about it. Jamsa raised over $60 for the AAPI community and Atlanta victims’ families in a bake sale.
“I hope my personal fundraiser showed that anyone, even a single person, can make a difference and that taking action is imperative when facilitating social change.”
Featured image: Madelyn Jamsa held a small bake sale and donated the proceeds to the Atlanta spa shooting victims’ GoFundMes. Photo courtesy Madelyn Jamsa.