Local group holds anti-gun violence rally in Palm Springs
An activist group called “Moms Demand Action” rallied in the Coachella Valley Thursday, part of a nationally recognized movement called the “Wear Orange Campaign.”
The “Wear Orange Campaign” claims millions of Americans are taking to the streets to have their voices heard.
“I hope that a lot of this changes,” said Guadalupe Yanez, a senior at Palm Springs.
Yanez joined dozens of other ‘anti-gun violence advocates’ in a rally outside the Mizell Senior Center. She said she’s watched the culture on campus change drastically.
“It was suddenly after the parkland shooting,” Yanez said. “It was no longer duck and cover. It was barricade, turn the lights off, lock the doors, cover the windows.”
Teachers, like Dr. Brian McDaniel, have been forced to have those conversations with their students.
“It’s heart-wrenching to have this dialogue with the kids. saying, if the worst day happens, this is what we’re going to do,” McDaniel said.
He says he has prepared himself to make the ultimate sacrifice.
“I vowed that I would never allow anything to happen to my kids. I would protect them with my life, they are my kids, I’m willing to sacrifice myself as a last effort. the fact that the country is making me do that is appalling,” McDaniel said.
But advocates said it’s not just gun-violence in schools. According to recent reports, the majority of gun-related deaths are suicides, followed by homicides, and then unintended shootings, resulting in about 96 deaths per day. Many people pushing to ban assault weapons to lower that number.
“I’m not against the second amendment. I think people ought to be able to carry a gun, but the assault weapons need to go,” said Cathie Snyder, a La Quinta resident.
“It took me 160 hours to train to be capable to save human life and I can carry a lethal weapon that could end a life with almost no documented firearm training. That’s really imbalanced and I think that’s crazy,” said another attendee.
Dr. Richard Loftus cares for violence victims regularly and calls current gun laws a public health issue.
“With some of these high energy rifles, even if you were to get somebody to survive long enough to get to the emergency room, their organs are liquefied. There’s not much for a trauma surgeon to do,” said. “The implications of having those high powered weapons casually available is a health issue that medicine can’t do much about. We need to prevent gun violence not react to it.”
There were no counter protestors at the event. For more information about the ‘Wear Orange’ campaign events being held across the country this weekend, click here.
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