Thousands register to vote at U.S. gun-control marches
Voter registration activists who marched for tighter gun laws, signing up thousands of first-time voters who vowed to eject lawmakers who oppose gun controls.
With mid-term Congressional elections eight months away, the activists flocked to some 800 marches across the country to enroll young voters likely to back Democratic and independent candidates who tend to favour tougher firearms laws.
In Washington, volunteers for the HeadCount voter-registration effort raised their fists and chanted “demonstration without registration leads to frustration” before heading out with clipboards to sign up some of the nation’s newest voters.
“Parkland’s Emma Gonzalez called for more Americans to vote and that is why Headcount is here today,” volunteer Aaron Ghitelman, 26, said of the student who along with classmates forged a national, youth gun control movement following the Feb. 14 massacre at her high school in Parkland, Florida.
Hugh Williams from Ypsilanti, Michigan, was among many 18-year-olds who answered her call.
“The more I see people marching and standing up for a cause I believe in, I want my voice to matter, too,” he said at the Washington march, adding that gun violence was a menace in his community.
Published: by Radio NewsHub