The pounding of drums by Sierra Vista High School Marching Band lead the more than 7,500 protesters from the Smith Center to Las Vegas City Hall. Grandparents, parents, young adults, teens and children flooded the streets to stand in solidarity with the Parkland high school students.
In the crowd were survivors of the Oct. 1 mass shooting, including Leah Tuckman, who held a banner reading “We Stand with Parkland. March For Our Lives #CountryStrong #Vegasstrong.”
“My 6-year-old granddaughter can tell me what to do in an active shooting scenario. We’re done,” Tuckman said. “Let those elected officials know that most of these high school kids will be voting in November and voting them out.”
Las Vegas students leading the local March for Our Lives event made the following demands of their elected officials: Pass and enforce legislation on background checks before the purchase of a weapon; remove guns from those who are a danger to themselves and others; ban weapons designed for the battlefield from civilians and law enforcement; and recognize how gun violence impacts communities of color and implement preventive programs to combat this.
During the march, several individuals registered protesters to vote.