Teens protest outside White House to demand stricter gun laws
“Every day when I say ‘bye’ to my parents, I do acknowledge the fact that I could never see my parents again,” said Ella Fesler, 16
Dozens of teenage school pupils lay on the pavement in front of the White House on Monday to demand presidential action on gun control and symbolise the 17 killed in a school shooting in Florida.
The teenagers, who were also joined by parents, educators and younger children, held their arms crossed at their chests. Two activists were covered by an American flag. One held a sign asking, “Am I Next?”
Ella Fesler, a 16-year-old high school pupil in Alexandria, Virginia, said: “It’s really important to express our anger and the importance of finally trying to make a change and having gun control in America.”
She added: “Every day when I say ‘bye’ to my parents, I do acknowledge the fact that I could never see my parents again.”
The pupils lay on the ground outside the White House for three minutes at a time in an effort to symbolise the short amount of time it took alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz to claim 17 lives at his former school.