'Enough Is Enough': Los Angeles Students Protest Gun Violence

LOS ANGELES, CA — Students from across Los Angeles and the United States participated in a national school walkout Thursday to protest gun violence following Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

At least 19 children and two adults were killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, according to The Texas Tribune. The shooting sent shockwaves across the nation, marking the second-deadliest shooting at an elementary, middle or high school since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, according to The New York Times.

Students across the country walked out of their classrooms Thursday, much like they did following the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people. The walkouts were organized nationally by Students Demand Action, an initiative run by young activists working to minimize gun violence through education, political engagement and advocacy. Students Demand Action is affiliated with Everytown for Gun Safety.

Over 200 schools participated nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Students from Newbury Park High School, El Camino Real Charter High School, John Marshall High School, Hollywood High School and Saugus High School were among the many Angelenos to participate in the walkout.

Social media videos show dozens of El Camino Real students chanting "enough is enough" as they walk out of the school. At Hollywood High School, hundreds of students convened on a campus quad to hear the names of the Uvalde and Buffalo, New York victims, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Enough is enough. We are absolutely devastated for everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence. Once again, gun violence has forced its way into our schools, leaving nothing but devastation, trauma, and tragedy in its wake. Nineteen students and two adults were shot and killed. We need more than thoughts and prayers. We demand action from our lawmakers now," Students Demand Action wrote on its website.

Students Demand Action prompted students to engage their school administration, wear orange and make signs with phrases like "I should be worry about my SATs – NOT MY LIFE," "Protect Children Not Guns" and "I want to read books not eulogies."

Firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death for children age 19 and under in 2020, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. 2020 was the first year gun violence surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death in this age group.

"School is the last place where kids should have to worry about gun violence, but thanks to our weak gun laws and the gun lobby’s relentless ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, nowhere is safe. Students deserve to learn and live without fear," Students Demand Action wrote on its website.