Iowa students to stage walkout Monday over gun violence in wake of Perry school shooting
In the wake of a deadly shooting at Perry High School, Iowa students are planning to walk out out of class Monday, Jan. 8, and march to the Capitol to protest what they say is lawmakers' inaction on gun violence.
The call for students to participate was put out by March For Our Lives Iowa just hours after authorities say Dylan Butler, 17, shot and killed Ahmir Jolliff, 11, and injured seven others at Perry High School on Thursday. Among those seriously injured is Principal Dan Marburger.
Butler was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the school, authorities said.
Related: 11-year-old boy identified as victim in Perry High School shooting that wounded 8
March for Our Lives Iowa — a nonpartisan group that works to encourage young people to become involved in politics — began organizing the walkout after students repeatedly voiced their frustration over the school shooting.
"The shooting has hit really close to home for a lot of us," Akshara Eswar, one of the group's executive state directors, told the Des Moines Register. "People are angry. They're thinking about it constantly. That's all that we can talk about and so we need to utilize this energy … and try to make sure that our legislators know that we are not happy with the state of the gun laws in Iowa."
Students in Des Moines, Bettendorf, Johnston, Waukee and West Des Moines are expected to walk out of class around noon Monday. Those in the Des Moines metro area are being encouraged to meet at 1 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol, 1007 E. Grand Ave., in Des Moines.
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The group plans to deliver a letter — which lays out its legislative priorities — to Gov. Kim Reynolds, said Eswar, a Johnston High School senior. Monday also marks the first day of the 2024 legislative session.
March for Our Lives' legislative priorities include a law that would require people to report lost or stolen firearms, and another that would temporarily ban people who have been proven to be at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing or possessing a gun. The ban would be lifted once they received help.
"I think our biggest hope or agenda item, I would say for this, is that legislators understand that we are terrified to be in school," Eswar said.
Iowa lawmakers have not prioritized laws that directly impact the safety of children and people in the state in recent years, Eswar said.
Instead, the focus has been on laws that ban books depicting sex acts from schools, mandate school administrators inform parents if a student asks to use different name or pronouns and ban transgender girls and women from playing sports.
Related: What to know about the weapons police found at the Perry High School shooting
"They use all of this in the name of protecting children," she said. "But the reality is every day is a gamble. Every day we walk into school never actually knowing what's going to happen that day and it's not fair that we have to live in that fear."
Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa students to walk out, march to Capitol after Perry school shooting
