WASHINGTON — Thousands listened as gun violence survivors and families of victims spoke at the second March for Our Lives rally held in D.C. In the distance, you could hear rally-goers yelling, "This time is different, this time is different."
Cassandra Palmer was one of many high school students amplifying her own voice at the rally. The Arlington native was in the third grade she said when her elementary school was threatened with gun violence.
“I was sick and tired of having to be scared in my classroom about the danger of this happening again,” Palmer said.
When her high school was threatened in February 2022, Cassandra said she could no longer live a life crippled by fear. Even if she's too young to vote, she was energized to protest.
“I shouldn't have to be scared that somebody's coming around the corner with an AK," Palmer said. "I shouldn't have to be scared for my life when I leave my house every morning; neither should any of my classmates neither should any of their younger siblings. Nobody should be afraid when they walk into a school building."
Speakers took to the stage and shared their stories. Erik Bue said he’s never been to a rally of this sort but was motivated after his 15-year-old survived the school shooting at Edmund Burke School.
March For Our Lives | Rally for gun reform after surge in mass shootings
“I feel like now, I cannot. You know, I look at my kid and she was 10-feet away from where the bullets were,” Bue said.
The common theme shared amongst rally-goers was change needs to happen, and Gregory Jackson said it should’ve happened decades ago.
An opinion he shared this week while testifying in front of congress. “I'll never forget that feeling of powerlessness and vulnerability in the hospital and thinking, man I got to do something and be able to be heard. I finally had a chance to address those people face to face that failed to take action and frankly, I think are responsible for all the gun violence that we're seeing,” Jackson said.
Thousands of rally goers listened to impassioned speakers, many of whom are bonded through tragedies and trauma by the firing of a gun.
Cassandra, hoping the reality that she doesn’t know a life without mass shootings, school shootings, and gun threats are not passed on to another generation.
“I'm tired of being afraid. So that's why I'm here today,” Palmer said.