National School Walkout Founder Visits State Capitol

A week after launching a National School Walkout movement, 15 year old Ridgefield resident, Lane Murdock was invited to our State Capitol to speak with government officials about the student initiative to end gun violence. Lane's proud mom, Bari, says the last few days have been "surreal". "I love what our kids can accomplish if parents step back and give them the space," she said.

Murdock is charging American students to "Walkout" on April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. Murdock has garnered a mass-amount of support -  the National School Walkout Twitter page @schoolwalkoutUS has 110K Twitter followers and nearly 168,567K people have signed Murdock's petition in support of anti-gun violence. 

National School Walkout website states the National School Walkout mission: "We’re protesting congressional, state, and local failures to take action to prevent gun violence. America is the only country in the world where so many people are killed by guns, and yet our leaders do nothing about it. In many states, it’s more difficult to register to vote than it is to buy a rifle. Apparently to some politicians, a vote is scarier than a gun. We’re changing that.We encourage you to talk to a classmate you have never talked to before about this protest. Ask them if they would like to join you. This is the time to unite. There is power in our community. It is up to us to make the change."

Support and Media Attention

Major media outlets are reporting about Murdock's National School Walkout campaign including NBC News who quotes Murdock as saying, "Gun violence surrounds us. I remember my first lockdown drill as a normal thing. I saw how Newtown affected so many around me, and it hurt. It hurts that a shooter can go into a school [and] kill little kids, and adults just let it fade into the background like white noise."

Time Magazine has also covered Murdock's National School Walkout. 

Women's March organizers have rallied behind Murdock and have launched additional events. They said, "We're inspired by the young people who are taking action and organizing. Let's support all of these actions!"

March 14: Women's March Youth Enough! National School Walkout

March 24: March for Our Lives in DC & nationwide

The Petition 

Murdock says on Change.org, "On Friday, April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting I propose a National High School student walk out. Walk out of school, wear orange and protest online and in your communities. Sign the petition if you pledge to do so. Nothing has changed since Columbine, let us start a movement that lets the government know the time for change is now." 

The Petition states:

We are the students, we are the victims, we are change, fight gun violence now! High School students across the U.S.A, the way to fight back is here. There has been too much complacency on the part of politicians when it comes to gun violence. The time to act is now!

Public school shootings affect communities and especially teenagers. On February, 14th a High School shooting in Parkland, Florida occurred, killing 17 people. Still,  POTUS has not addressed any form of gun legislation. The majority of teenagers have no right to vote, leaving our voice unheard. The government does not hear or care how these tragedies affect our lives.  Seven children and teens are killed with guns in the U.S. on an average day (https://everytownresearch.org). The violence of guns is being performed in our schools and our communities. Not the Senate floor. As the future of America, it is time for teenagers to speak their minds and put their frustration into action.

View and sign the petition HERE.

Questions? Email  schoolwalkoutus@gmail.com

Social follows

@lanemurdock2002

@schoolwalkoutUS

#nationalschoolwalkout

R
Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

Become a Local Voice in Your Community!

HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected.

Read Next