by Bishop Bill Gohl
I marched in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 24 because I am a part of the generation that has seen all too many mass shootings. These shootings are particularly horrible, especially those that have taken place in schools that have killed people my age. Incidents of gun violence do not discriminate, they affect all races, all classes, and all ages of people. This has become a reality in our country. But it doesn’t have to be. I marched to call on leaders who are entrusted to protect the people to do just that: protect us with common sense gun safety measures such as universal background checks, a ban on military-style weapons and high capacity magazines, an increased waiting period on gun sales, and an increase in the minimum age of legal gun ownership.
Isaiah 2:4 says, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” I marched to call on our politicians to live out this verse by denouncing organizations that defend these weapons and to make an effort to put an end to the epidemic of gun violence in the USA.
Meghan: high school sophomore; member of Joy Reigns, Edgewater; LYO Small Group Team member
I went to the March from the Union Station. We talked with a nice lady who told us her story. We got off and the 12 of us from my church walked to First Trinity Lutheran Church, where people were welcoming us and giving out name tags. They had a station for adding to a poster, where we wrote why we were marching on paper cutout people, and they had another station for making your own sign. I created my poster and got to know the other people who were there. I talked to a lady and her family from Portland; they'd created posters, shirts, and pins as their peaceful protest. Then my church group called me over, we made the sign of the cross on one another at the baptismal font, and we took a picture with our signs. We left the church and made our way to the March area. It took a while, but we finally got to a street near the stage. Through jumbotron screens, I saw amazing testimonies, newscasts, and performances from many young youth and adults. It was important for me to be there because I am a high schooler and this is happening to us more so than adults. It's happening to students everywhere. So I'm saying #ENOUGH! My faith gave me the strength to do this. #WeMatter.
Grace: high school freshman; member of Grace, Westminster; LYO Worship Team member
I went to the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C. because myself and others no longer feel safe in our schools. Schools are meant for kids to learn and bond, but instead of that they're now a place of violence. In fact, any place can be turned into a place of grief and mourning when there is a gun involved. It can be turned into a graveyard in mere seconds. It's about time something was done, and America's kids are trying. We've grown up hearing about shootings all over the country — every American public schooler was born post-Columbine — and some of us have even witnessed it. We're tired of countless children becoming victims of gun violence. But, for some reason, when we voice our opinions on the matter, we're shut down. I call BS. We are calling out the politicians who refuse to make changes and tell us that we don't know what we’re talking about. We aren't talking about some "crazy left wing belief;" we're talking about death. If we don't do something about the gun violence in America, nothing will change. Let's strive for better policy and laws. I know we can do it.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. - I Timothy 4:12