Young activists across the country will take part in March For Our Lives events on Saturday. Phoenix is no exception, with three different marches converging at the Arizona Capitol.
High school students from across the Valley will call for gun reform at the Capitol starting at 10 a.m. They’ll be joined later by activists from Black Lives Matter who are marching from Phoenix City Hall to the Capitol.
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Jacob Martinez is a junior at Dobson High School and one of the event organizers.
“We need comprehensive background checks," Martinez said. "The governor’s plan does not really close the loopholes and address the private sale issues that we see. We want a ban of bump stocks. We’ve seen the damage they can do in mass shootings. And we also want more counselors on campuses. ”
The Patriot Movement AZ will also be at the Capitol for a silent counter-protest. Tamela Hyatt is with the local conservative group. She said she doesn’t think students, not old enough to own a handgun, should be trying to sway the American public.
“I think that the adults involved have come up with very good solutions for hardening the target as they call it or providing other measures for the schools other than denying Americans their Second Amendment right,” Hyatt said.
Hyatt said there’s confusion about why Americans cling to their guns. She said they want the ability to protect themselves against a tyrannical government.
