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DC crowd sends singular message: Common-sense gun laws

Hundreds of thousands of people are here because of a group of teenagers from Florida, who lived through a nightmare and are determined that no other high school student should have to.

Posted 2018-03-24T23:51:42+00:00 - Updated 2018-07-13T15:11:45+00:00

Hundreds of thousands demand more gun regulation in Washington, D.C.

What a day!

The crowd was elbow to elbow, and it was electric. Hundreds of thousands of people are here because of a group of teenagers from Florida, who lived through a nightmare and are determined that no other high school student should have to.

You could barely move through the crowd it was so packed with bodies. But as uncomfortable as the closeness might have been on public transportation or at an amusement park, the people were very cordial in that environment. There was a unity in the crowd, inspired by these young agents of change.

Don’t get me wrong. There was animosity in the crowd, directed at the NRA and at members of Congress whom the students feel are doing its bidding when it comes to gun control. The crowd called for common-sense gun control laws, a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

I was surprised at how connected the crowd was. Usually in a protest/rally like this you see some pockets of opposition. If they were there, I didn’t see them anywhere. Believe me, we looked for them. I was determined to present that side of the story as well, as we always do.

I mentioned in my live shot at 6 p.m. Saturday, that if you are a law-abiding supporter of the Second Amendment, this rally was not geared at you. There were many people there identified themselves as gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment, who also believe certain weapons don’t belong in the hands of 18-year-olds.

This issue is so polarizing, I’m afraid THAT will continue to get in the way of real progress. Most people on both sides of this issue agree on many of the same issues. And they all want to protect our children school. The difference is how do we do it?

My takeaway is this: There is a very large and determined voting block that is beginning to realize its power. Whether they are 18 now or will be 18 in a year or two, they will vote. And if you are an elected official, you had better not take it for granted that they will not show up at the polls as they have done in the past. This feels different.