Students from around 20 Portland area public schools walked out of class today to call attention to gun violence.
High school and middle school students held rallies in Pioneer Courthouse Square and on the steps of City Hall.
“We believe that school time is too valuable for us to spend our time doing active shooter drills,” said Carmen Vintro, one of the student organizers.
Later today, the students are driving to Salem to pressure legislators to adopt gun control legislation. They want lawmakers to up the legal age for buying a gun from 18 to 21, ban accessories that make guns fully automatic and ban assault weapons.
Students rallying outside City Hall
Students read quotes from Martin Luther King on the steps of Pioneer Courthouse square.
Even middle school students showed up. “We can’t vote yet, but we’ll have to vote on these issues in the future,” one student said.
Students at City Hall
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