Local residents joined thousands of people across the country and around the world yesterday to protest gun violence and demand gun control legislative reform.
Protesters gathered outside Rep. Lee Zeldin’s district office in Patchogue and at a rally in Port Jefferson — two of several on Long Island to demand stricter gun control legislation.
Riverhead High School junior Julia Divan of Riverhead was one of several student speakers to address the crowd yesterday in Port Jefferson.
From the bed of a pickup truck emblazoned with “#ENOUGH” on the cab’s rear window, Divan spoke of the importance of student activism on the issue of gun violence. School walkouts and rallies being the only way people not yet old enough to vote can voice their opinions.
The school walkout at Riverhead High School earlier this month had 200 participants, Divan said.
“This walkout was crucial in telling our legislators that the next generation of voters wants common sense gun control,” she said.
“When we walked out of our schools, we were telling our legislators we won’t support them unless they support common sense gun control. We will not vote people into office who are being funded by the NRA,” Divan said.
She turned to the subject of First District Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley).
“Our congressman Lee Zeldin is the largest recipient of pro-gun funds in the State of New York,” Divan said. He does not support common sense gun control and has an A rating from the NRA. So please call him and tell him what you think.”
Some in the crowd broke into chants of “Vote him out!”
“Change won’t come overnight,” Divan said. “It needs to be fought for day in and day out. Our collective power lies within our individual voices. This issue is not going to be solved quickly
but when lives are at stake, time constraints don’t matter
the only thing that matters is that we get there.”
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