Enough is enough, that’s what parents, students and some teachers said Monday night at Marion Square. The Charleston chapter of the Brady Campaign held a #NoMoreExcuses Rally. This in response to the shooting last week in Parkland, Florida. 17 students and teachers were killed, 14 others injured.
It was a peaceful protest, a little over a hundred Lowcountry parents and students rallied against gun violence. They all asked lawmakers to step in.
“17 people had to be killed for anyone to even notice that this needs to be solved and fixed,” said Ava Gallo. She is a student at Wando High School.
Two months ago Gallo attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “I love that high school. It was just a really great experience being there, I had so many friends and it was just really great.”
Until the unimaginable happened. The teen learned 17 of her former classmates had been killed—14 more injured through social media and her friends texting her about what was going on.
Ava said enough is enough. She and other students and parents from around the Lowcountry spent evening protesting. “We’re not just going to sit around and wait for something to happen, we have to speak about it, be strong and unite.” She added.
Ava’s not alone. The deadly shooting startled Rose Mardikian—a senior at James Island Charter High School, “Charleston has been affected by one of these tragedies.”
The 17-year-old wants stricter gun laws. “It’s easy for kids to get their hands on them and I think the fact that we’re making them so easy for them is what makes it so scary," Mardikian added.
Rose says she hopes a shooting never happens at her school, but in light of recent events, she and her friends live in constant paranoia. “We hope that one day, in 20 years’ kids who are going to school aren’t going to have to be like this. Aren’t going to have to be paranoid about going to one of the most important places in a child’s life and that’s school.”