Hundreds call for ‘more sane’ gun control during protest march in St. George

March 24, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE – Hundreds of people gathered in front of St. George City Hall Saturday waving signs and shouting chants for what event organizers called “more sane” gun laws.

Estimated to have anywhere between 500 and 1,000 participants, the St. George March for Our Lives demonstration joined other events across the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people calling for gun control.

Katelyn Hunsaker, 19, a theater student at Dixie State University, was one of the organizers of the St. George March for Our Lives demonstration. The St. George march was one of several held across the United States, organized by youth and young adults, that called for better gun control measures as a way to prevent mass shootings at schools, St. George, Utah, March 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

“Today we’re marching for more sane gun law,” Katelyn Hunsaker, one of the event organizers, said. Like other events nationwide Saturday, the St. George march was organized by young people. Hunsaker, 19, is a theater student at Dixie State University.

“We put this together because what we felt was happening in our society was wrong and we want something to change it,” Hunsaker said.

The “wrong” Hunsaker mentioned refers to repeated incidents of gun violence across the county, particularly school shootings. Saturday’s demonstration also focused on that point, as it was used to reflect on the 17 students and faculty killed in the Feb. 14 shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

March participants gathered at the parking lot by the Delores Eccles Building at Dixie State University before marching toward the city offices. Along the way, many of the protesters shouted “Power to the people” and “No more silence, end gun violence,” among other related mantras.

The group’s platform as it relates to gun law reform, includes calls for limiting magazine capacity to below 10 rounds and stricter background checks that include screenings for mental health status. They call for anyone who wants to buy a gun to be required to take a hands-on class along with annual firearms proficiency classes after that.

The group also wants to see more consistency in gun law across the nation, rather than differing laws from state to state.

Hundred of people participated in the March for Our Lives demonstration in St. George March 24, 2018 that went from Dixie State University to the St. George City Offices. The St. George march was one of several held across the United States, organized by youth and young adults, that called for better gun control measures as a way to prevent mass shootings at schools, St. George, Utah, March 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

“We don’t want to take away anyone’s rights,” Hunsaker said. “We don’t want to kill the 2nd Amendment. We want to make (the laws) more sane. (We want) something that’s going to limit mass shootings.”

In the opinion of passerby Scott Nielson, who stopped and talked with the protesters, the best way to stop school shootings is to let teachers be armed.

“The answer isn’t to take guns out of the school,” Nielson said. “Teachers should have guns to protect the students. Someone who comes in, who’s crazy, has a mental incapacity, how are we going to stop that from happening unless the teachers have guns on them to protect themselves?”

The real problem is also the person pulling the trigger, not the gun, Nielson said, adding that he sees a firearm as a tool like a hammer. He could just as easily pick up a hammer and use it to hurt people as he could a gun, he said.

Kathryn Syssoyeva, who teaches theater at Dixie State University, said she doesn’t favor the idea of having guns in schools.

“I don’t want to see guns in the classroom. The only weapon I want to bring into the classroom is knowledge,” Syssoyeva said.

After the march reached the City Hall on 200 East, protesters collectively chanted, “What do we want? Gun Control. When do we want it? Now.”

The united voices of so many people in one place created an echo that rang across the street with each successive chant.

A five-minute sit-in and silence was then held in remembrance of all the victims of school shootings.

While sitting in silence, many signs were still held high. One sign said schools shouldn’t be a war zone, while others pointed the blame at the National Rifle Association and its lobbyists for standing in the way of gun control. Other signs called for improved access to mental health care or claimed there had been 1,000 school shootings since 2013.

Multiple signs called for a banning of assault rifles.

Some signs pleaded for books over bullets, and one simply had the word “ENOUGH” written on it.

As the event concluded, Hunsaker said she was amazed by the turnout, having not expected so many people to attend the march.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s so powerful that there are so many people who feel the same way that a small group of students do.”

The St. George March for Our Lives’ platform on gun control, according to the group’s Facebook page, is as follows in its entirety:

We believe in rational gun policy that builds upon and strengthens existing legal frameworks.
We believe that military grade weapons should not be accessible to the general public (10 rounds or more).
We believe that the bump stock loophole should be closed.
We believe that there should be consistent and enforced universal background checks that must be completed before a potential buyer can receive a gun. The background checks should contain relevant information about mental health and all interactions with the law.
We believe that there should be collaboration between the states for consistent gun laws.
We believe that there should be a required hands-on training class and efficiency exam so that all gun owners can operate a gun with competence.
We believe that there should be a mandatory annual training class and mental health screening.
We believe that the age of eligibility to buy a gun should be raised throughout the states from 18 to 21 years old.
We believe that state issued permits should be legal only in the state of their issuance so that state rights are better protected across national lines.

As young adults in the American school system, we believe that there needs to be a change so that the frighteningly consistent tragedies that have occurred will stop. We believe that people should be able to learn without fearing for their lives. We believe that the actions specified above will help to bring about this change, and that if we stand together we can be that change.

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Hundred of people participated in the March for Our Lives demonstration in St. George March 24, 2018 that went from Dixie State University to the St. George City Offices. The St. George march was one of several held across the United States, organized by youth and young adults, that called for better gun control measures as a way to prevent mass-shootings at schools, St. George, Utah, March 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Katelyn Hunsaker, 19, a theater student at Dixie State University, was one of the organizers of the St. George March for Our Lives demonstration. The St. George march was one of several held across the United States, organized by youth and young adults, that called for better gun control measures as a way to prevent mass-shootings at schools, St. George, Utah, March 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler