DeLaney joins students in push for gun reform

Today, Sept. 5, State Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis) joined hundreds of high school students as they gathered at the Statehouse to demand gun reform legislation. This rally was part of a national walkout organized by Students Demand Action after a school shooting in Minnesota last week resulted in the tragic death of two children and injured 18 others. Firearms are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 17. 

“Today, hundreds of students from around our city showed up to the Statehouse to hold the adults accountable. Our young people proved that they will not be ignored. The fight against gun violence is deeply personal, and they are demanding a change from their lawmakers. I am proud of their commitment to protecting their lives.

“Students should be in class learning today, not fighting for their lives. How are students supposed to focus on their algebra test while they are flinching at every loud noise that comes from the hallway and thinking that their school will be the next headline?

“Many of the students I spoke to today were asking a question that I would like the answer to as well: How many more children have to die for action to be taken? The fact of the matter is that guns are far too accessible. Indiana’s virtually nonexistent gun laws open the door for a tragedy along the lines of what happened in Minneapolis, or Parkland, or Uvalde, or Sandy Hook, or Columbine or the other communities that have been ravaged by school shootings. We shouldn’t have to wait for an atrocity to strike in our home state to listen to the pleas of our students and pass common-sense gun safety legislation.”