What’s Next for March for Our Lives Austin? - Austin Monthly Magazine x Subscribe Austin Monthly Austin Home Newsletters BEST OF ATX EAT & DRINK CULTURE CITY LIFE TRAVEL AUSTIN HOME THINGS TO DO Events Calendar Our Events MAGAZINE Subscribe Newsletters Sponsored Content Issue Archive Advertise About Us DIRECTORIES Top Doctors Top Doctors for Women Top Docs for Kids Top Mortgage Professionals Top Attorneys Camps Restaurants Private Schools Austin Amplified What’s Next for March for Our Lives Austin? The student activists aren’t finished—and the rest of the state might be feeling the effects from last month’s march By Abigail Rosenthal | Photos by Eddie Gaspar Published: April 19, 2018 Two months after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the conversation around gun violence has not ceased as it once had. More than 1,300 miles away from Parkland, student activists in Austin are continuing to voice their own support for reform since hosting March for Our Lives Austin on March 24. Texas is no stranger to gun ownership or gun violence. The gun ownership rate in in the state is 35.7 percent, ranking 18th out of the 50 states and Washington D.C. Austin was the site of the University of Texas Tower shooting, often mentioned as one of the first widely recognized mass shootings. The state has seen multiple mass shootings over the years. But while Texas is thought of as a solidly red state resistant to any gun control, movements like this continue to challenge that idea. The March for Our Lives movement hasn’t been lacking supporters in Austin—March 24’s event drew 20,000 people from in and outside of Austin marching from City Hall to the Capitol. Jack Kappelman and Kari Siegenthaler, two of the student organizers from March for Our Lives Austin and seniors at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, have seen support from locals, celebrities and politicians alike. Matthew McConaughey and Mayor Steve Adler spoke at the march, and the crowd proved that some Texans are ready for a change in the way gun violence is approached. “After such a long cycle of these school shootings and massacres, people are just fed up and tired of it,” Siegenthaler says. “And I think that’s what’s pushing change now—is that people are finally realizing enough is enough and this should never happen again.” According to Siegenthaler, there were very few counter protestors at the march, unlike some other marches in the state. And so many City Council members were at the march that it was an unofficial meeting, according to Kappelman. “The political support for it is not something to look over,” he says. “With that support, actual legislative change could be more possible. It was really, really reassuring to see that people support us.” But a lack of counter protestors and local political support doesn’t indicate widespread support across the state. The upcoming midterm elections are more likely to indicate where the majority of Texans lie on the gun control debate. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, is running against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for a seat in the Senate and has reportedly raised roughly $3.5 million more than Cruz. O’Rourke also publicly supports banning assault rifles completely and banning large magazines. But look at any party map of Texas, and it will look pretty red, outside of Texas’ more urban areas. “I think oftentimes Texans in general can be very polarized; there is a very clear split between people in cities and people in rural areas,” Siegenthaler says. “But I also think there are so many new voters right now who are very passionate about this issue.” This was especially evident at the town hall the students hosted on April 8 at Travis High School. More than 200 attendees listened to 26 students in the school’s auditorium question State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Tomball, and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn were also invited—Cruz reportedly responded that he had a scheduling conflict, and McCaul and Cornyn did not respond. What was lacking there was opposing viewpoints. Kappelman hopes to facilitate events where people from both sides of the issue can discuss their opinions in a calm setting. Town halls mainly just offer politicians the opportunity to promote their personal views, he says. He believes that Texans’ attitudes toward others helps in making this idea a possible success. “I feel like the culture here allows for people to sit down and have conversations and respect each other‘s opinions, and I think that having some sort of event where people from all different sides can go to somewhere where they know their opinion will be respected and listened to even if they’re talking to people who don’t necessarily agree with them. I think that that could really change some of the stigmas (surrounding gun control).” Texas’ red reputation has also proven to be somewhat of a barrier in aligning with the national movement and its mission. Moving forward, the local movement hopes to spend time educating voters and facilitating conversations. “It doesn’t seem that the national movement is doing a lot of focus on particularly southern states or putting a lot of resources into helping us organize and educate voters,” Kappelman says. But while it puts pressure on them to organize locally, it also allows the students to specify their goals to a Texas audience, he adds. Students across Austin are continuing to push for gun control reform. On April 20, students from 15 schools across the greater Austin area will participate in the TX Capitol Walkout, another student-led initiative. Students will walk out of their respective schools and march to the Capitol for a rally. “I wasn’t even shocked when I heard about Parkland,” says one of the organizers and Griffin School senior Bayley Stewart. “I was sad, but not shocked. When I sat with that feeling and understood how profoundly wrong that was, that was when I decided it was time to take action.” March for Our Lives Austin has involved students from different schools all over the city—and that involvement is what makes Siegenthaler believe that political change is on the way to Texas. “No matter what age (you are), you can be politically involved,” Siegenthaler says. “And that’s why I think the tide is going to change in the future, because as we get farther along, all these students who are organizing the walkouts are their middle schools, they’re going to be voters within the next eight years.” TRENDING NOW The Ultimate Guide to Camping in Texas What to Do at Mueller Abbott vs. Beto: The Battle For Governor Heats Up Bevo’s Long Ride to the Mascot Mountaintop The Most Memorable Moments in Austin City Limits Music Festival History The 5 Best New Wine Bars and Shops in (and Around) Austin OPEN SKY MEDIA PUBLICATIONS 1712 Rio Grande Street, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78701 512-263-9133 © 2022 Open Sky Media All rights reserved Website by Web Publisher PRO Issue Archive About Us Contact Subscribe Advertise Careers WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW — straight to your inbox Our Mailing Lists: Insider The Scoop Great Destinations On Stands Now Events Austin Home From Our Partners Austin Home On the Market Austin Home On Stands Now 1712 Rio Grande Street, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78701 512-263-9133 © 2022 Open Sky Media All rights reserved Website by Web Publisher PRO Actions Menu Selected media actions <# } #> <# } #> <# if ( data.message ) { #> {{ data.message }} <# } #> Drop files to upload or Select Files Maximum upload file size: 40 MB. <# if ( data.suggestedWidth && data.suggestedHeight ) { #> Suggested image dimensions: {{data.suggestedWidth}} by {{data.suggestedHeight}} pixels. <# } #> Grid view / – Dismiss errors {{ data.message }} <# if ( ! data.hasNext ) { #> disabled<# } #>>Edit next media item Close dialog <# if ( data.uploading ) { #> <# } else if ( data.sizes && data.sizes.large ) { #> <# } else if ( data.sizes && data.sizes.full ) { #> <# } else if ( -1 === jQuery.inArray( data.type, [ 'audio', 'video' ] ) ) { #> <# } #> <# if ( 'audio' === data.type ) { #> <# } else if ( 'video' === data.type ) { var w_rule = ''; if ( data.width ) { w_rule = 'width: ' + data.width + 'px;'; } else if ( wp.media.view.settings.contentWidth ) { w_rule = 'width: ' + wp.media.view.settings.contentWidth + 'px;'; } #> <# if ( data.width ) { #>width="{{ data.width }}"<# } #> <# if ( data.height ) { #>height="{{ data.height }}"<# } #> <# if ( data.image && data.image.src !== data.icon ) { #>poster="{{ data.image.src }}"<# } #>> <# } #> <# if ( 'image' === data.type && ! data.uploading && data.sizes && data.can.save ) { #> Edit Image <# } else if ( 'pdf' === data.subtype && data.sizes ) { #> Document Preview <# } #> Saved. 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