'Shouldn't our kids be safe?': Longmont March for Our Lives joins calling for gun safety action

Jun. 12—More than 200 protesters on Saturday filled the sidewalks of Longmont's Main Street as they marched in nearly 100-degree heat to demand gun violence prevention in the wake of numerous mass shootings and instances of gun violence.

"Enough is enough!" they shouted, and, "Kids not guns!" Their signs read, "How Many More?" and "No more. Ban Weapons of War."

Their calling joined the voices of those across the nation who rallied in 300 communities as part of a March for Our Lives.

For students Lilly Wetzel and Ashley Berkowitz, lockdowns in response to threats have become an all-too-frequent part of their St. Vrain Valley School District lives. Lilly will be a freshman at Skyline High School, and Ashley will attend Silver Creek in the fall.

"We have to hide, and the teachers stand in front of us," Lilly, who is 14, said. "It's scary."

"When I hear teachers say they will tell us when to run — that's a problem," Ashley said.

March for Our Lives rally organizers Lynette McClain and Judy Lubow, both part of the community group Longmont Progressives, led the local march to give residents a chance to use their voices to create change.

Among the changes she wants to see, Lubow said one of them is federal red-flag laws that aim to keep guns out of the hands of people who have a risk of harming themselves or others, which she said "just makes so much sense."

"What's happening with guns and children is unacceptable and horrible beyond belief," Lubow said. "We want to do our little part to increase awareness and say, 'We can do something.'"

A common image seen on the signs of protesters Saturday was a picture of a pair of green, high-top Converse sneakers with a heart drawn on one toe. National media reports that those shoes belonged to 10-year-old Maite Rodriguez, who loved the color green and dreamed of being a marine biologist when she grew up. Maite was one of the 21 people killed in the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting. Reports say that the shoes were the only indication of her identity following the massacre at the elementary school May 24, which left 19 students and two teachers dead. The shooting came just over a week after a mass shooting May 14 at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 dead.

Boulder County residents themselves are continuing to mourn the 10 people killed in a mass shooting March 22, 2021, at the Table Mesa King Soopers.

Just before the rally, Boulder resident Sally Hofmockel kneeled on the ground as she wrote "March for our Lives" on a sign. Hofmockel has been a teacher for 30 years and is a substitute at Whittier Elementary School in Boulder.

"Shouldn't our children be safe?" Hofmockel said. "I don't feel they are."

She was hopeful when the U.S. House earlier this week passed a package of gun reform bills. According to the Washington Post, that included raising the age to purchase most semiautomatic weapons to 21 and banning high- capacity magazine ammunition. Those bills, though, must next gain U.S. Senate approval.

Marching with Sally Hofmockel on Saturday was her son, Evan Hofmockel, who is a paraeducator at Whittier Elementary School.

"For me, I'm kind of here out of desperation," he said. "Because it doesn't seem like there's much else to do."

Longmont resident Theresa Grill's voice filled with emotion when she described how her son, Chris, survived, but lost classmates in the Virginia Tech Shooting, which killed 32 people April 16, 2007.

"It's just so important," she said, about marching Saturday. "It seems like lawmakers are lacking in common sense. I think about my grandson going to school, and it's frightening."

State Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont, who joined in the march, said she wants responsible gun owners to be part of the conversation.

"This isn't about taking away your right to own a firearm, your right to go hunting and your right to have a firearm in your house for whatever protection needs," McCormick told the Times-Call. "It's really about how do we create a safer culture, a safer society so that we don't have this fear wherever we go?"

While there's more work to be done, McCormick said Colorado last year passed six gun safety bills, including requiring that gun owners must keep their weapons safely stored, mandating the reporting of lost firearms and expanded background checks.

Ralliers ended the march at the Longmont Civic Center at 350 Kimbark St., where several people spoke. Mayor Joan Peck told the crowd she stands for gun safety.

"We're allowing the NRA to become our government, but you are the government! That is why our government lives. It is by the people, so your voice matters," Peck said.

Peck said the Longmont City Council will be voting Tuesday night on gun safety laws.

Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, a councilmember and teacher, also joined the march alongside fellow City Councilmember Shiquita Yarbrough. State Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Democrat who represents Longmont, Lafayette and Louisville, also addressed the crowd, alongside former State Rep. Jonathan Singer.

McCormick said Saturday's rally marked an important step in what she hopes will lead to positive change.

"It's important to me that as many people show up publicly as possible so that others know that they're not alone in thinking that something needs to be done," McCormick said. "Voices that are heard out loud, outside, carry momentum. That's what we're trying to do."