Buffalo High School Students Walk Out To Protest Gun Violence
BUFFALO, Minn. (WCCO) - Across the country, students are turning their grief into action as part of a nationwide walkout to protest gun violence.
Buffalo High School students walked out of their classrooms at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Buffalo students said that, after a shooter killed 21 people and injured 17 others at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, that they're afraid a shooting could happen at their school too.
They held a moment of silence for the victims at Robb Elementary, as well as for victims of gun violence across the country.
"I'm 16. I shouldn't have to worry about my life every single day I walk into the building, but I do and I'm sick of it," said 10th grade student Olivia Telecky.
"Every time you see a school shooting on the news you think, 'is that going to be me next time?'" she added. "We talk a lot in school about future plans and stuff but honestly it's hard to imagine having a future because sometimes I just think, 'am I going to make it out of high school?'"
Telecky says in terms of reform, she wants to see background checks implemented nationwide. "And then there are certain weapons you don't need for hunting," she said.
A moment of silence for victims of gun violence at a walkout at Buffalo HS pic.twitter.com/5HeJxhJgaN
— Kate Raddatz (@KateRaddatz) May 26, 2022
The students have two weeks until the last day of the school year. They want every single student to be able to make it safely to their summer break.
The high school is also in a city where a mass shooting happened just over a year ago. Last year, investigators say Gregory Ulrich walked into the Buffalo Allina Clinic Crossroads and started shooting. He also allegedly set off homemade bombs. Lindsay Overbay, a medical assistant, was killed and four others were hurt. Opening statements began Monday in Ulrich's murder trial.
Another walk out took place at Wayzata Central Middle School on Thursday. The walkouts were organized by Students Demand Action, which strives for gun safety reforms and education. It became a national initiative after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.