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Dozens Of San Antonio Student Activists March Against NRA

Updated 1 p.m.

Dozens of students took to the streets of downtown San Antonio in a march against the National Rifle Association.

 

Roughly 50 students from San Antonio area high schools marched to the local offices of Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Henry Cuellar on Saturday, calling on the politicians to stop taking money from the gun rights association and stop supporting its agenda.

"I think it went really well," said one of the organizers Rachel Walsdorf, 18, of San Antonio Students Demand Action. "Everyone who came out was really energized and determined to make our representatives know that we want change."

Walsdorf added that while the turnout wasn't what she had hoped for, she said the message sent to Cornyn and Cueller was loud and clear. 

"I hope that they're nervous, and I hope that they see all of the young people who are here because whether we're voting this year, next year, or the year after," she said, "we're going to be voting for their positions and we're going to be voting them out if they don't comply with what we want."

12:20 p.m. — Students conclude their march to the offices of Cornyn and Cuellar.

 

11:10 a.m. — San Antonio students continue their march downtown.

10:46 a.m. — The march towards the local offices of Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Henry Cuellar.

10:30 a.m. — Roughly 50 people gather at Main Plaza, including a resident of Newtown, Connecticut, site of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which occurred in 2012.

10 a.m. — The event was set to start at City Hall but moved to Main Plaza because of construction.

 

 

Original post

Student gun control activists are marching against the National Rifle Association Saturday morning in downtown San Antonio.

Like the March for our Lives held in March, and the student walkouts in April, the event isone of many scheduled across the country.

The San Antonio march is slated for 10 a.m. at City Hall, followed by rallies at the local offices of Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Henry Cuellar.

Cornyn is a Republican with an A+ rating from the NRA; Cuellar is a Democrat with an A.

“(The NRA has) been our main opposition for the longest time when it comes to gun control. And we’re starting to learn that it’s really them that’s kind of controlling everything,” said march organizer Sophia Mendez, a rising junior at Churchill High School. “If we can solve the root of the problem — which is the NRA even more than the politicians — than we can start having real change in Congress.”

Mendez said they’re calling on the politicians to stop taking money from the gun rights association and stop supporting its agenda.

“Over the past few years, the NRA has had complete disregard for the safety of people, and it’s placing a priority on money and wealth and gaining influence in politics,” said fellow organizer Rachel Walsdorf, a recent graduate of John Jay High School.

Mendez and Walsdorf said they chose Cuellar and Cornyn because their offices are nearby, and to illustrate that gun control isn’t a partisan issue.

When asked about the march, spokespeople for Cornyn and Cuellar pointed to their role in the passage of the Fix NICS Act, anNRA-backed bill that gives government agencies a financial incentive to report criminal activity so it shows up if someone purchases a firearm at a gun shop.

Student gun control activists want background checks online and at gun shows, and limitations on the types of guns and ammunition available.

In a statement responding to a request for comment, Congressman Cuellar said preventing gun violence and protecting the rights of gun owners quote “aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Bonnie Petrie, Camille Phillips and Vince Kong contributed to this report