Local students join nationwide walkout to protest gun violence

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Students across the country walked out on Wednesday to demand action from lawmakers on gun reform.

“No more silence, end gun violence,” was the rallying cry from students.

Students Demand Action said students walked out of more than 100 schools across the country. In Washington, students from at least eight schools participated in the national movement.

An estimated 200 students from Eastlake High School walked from the school campus to Sammamish City Hall.

“We’re wanting safer gun laws in this country, and we’re just not seeing anything change with the amount of tragedies that we are seeing,” said Eastlake High School senior Beth Austin.

The walkouts come just nine days after the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, where three students and three adults were killed.

“We want them to know that we stand with them, and I think that’s the most important thing we can do right now besides advocating,” Eastlake senior Rhyley Pruitt said. “As a student, I feel it’s extremely important to feel safe in the environment where we are supposed to be spending the majority of our week,”

Currently, there are three bills calling for gun reform that Washington lawmakers are discussing. One of the bills would ban the sale and manufacturing of assault-style weapons.

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