March for our Lives gun control activists leave empty chairs for politicians who ignored invites to town hall meetings
Student-led protesters around the country are staging town halls to discuss gun violence with their federal representatives, and leaving empty chairs for the politicians who dodged their invitations to attend.
The March for Our Lives protesters — who staged a massive rally last month in communities across the country — are conducting the town halls in order to advocate and discuss gun policy reforms, which Washington has been reluctant to implement.
A list of the scheduled events on the “Town Hall for our Lives” website shows dozens of such events in which the politician declined to attend or did not respond. All told, the website shows more than 100 events in 34 different state. There are events listed in 70 GOP-held districts, and about 30 Democrat-held districts.
Some politicians from both parties have, however, accepted their invitations to go speak with their constituents about the gun control and gun violence epidemic in the United States that has been hotly contested since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day when 17 people were killed.
Of the ones who declined to attend the town hall event, several have agreed to “office hours” with their constituents to discuss the issue.
The list of politicians holding events Saturday include several Senators. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey are among those who had event scheduled Saturday.
The event page lists 121 politicians who are going to miss the town hall events in their districts.
Those missing the town halls include Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Democrat Representative Joe Kennedy, and Republican Representative Lamar Smith.
In the aftermath of the Parkland, Florida shooting, several states have moved to implement stricter local gun control legislation. That included Florida, which sought to push the age requirement to buy a rifle, as well as New York, where politicians authorized law enforcement to remove firearms from individuals convicted of domestic violence charges.
