They’re predicting one of the largest marches ever Saturday in Washington, the March For Our Lives against gun violence. Sibling marches, hundreds of them, are planned around the country, including Bentonville and Little Rock.

In Little Rock, the gathering begins at 10 a.m. at Capitol and Pulaski and the group will talk a short walk up to the Capitol steps for a program to end at 1 p.m. In Little Rock, there’s an after party at Stickyz in the River Market.

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Note that the march falls on the 20th anniversary of the Westside school shooting Jonesboro.  An observance is planned there.

PS: The NRA is NOT happy about the march. Even with all those guns, they’re snowflakes.

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PPS: State Rep. Clarke Tucker, a Democratic candidate for 2nd District Congress, made an appeal for support in an e-mail that praised students participating in the march. He said he was a gun owner and believer in 2nd Amendment rights, but

For too long, we have allowed our public spaces to be subject to gun violence while Congress has refused to debate about what it will take to enact common-sense gun reform that protects our rights and our communities.

Thankfully for us adults, students across the country have taken up the mantle by organizing the March for Our Lives this Saturday, March 24th—and we owe it to them to listen to everything they say.

Because of these brave young activists and their willingness to speak out when something isn’t right, we are now seeing a new willingness to reopen the subject of gun safety legislation – even by Republicans long supported by the NRA. From President Trump to Senator Marco Rubio in Florida to Republican Representative Brian Mast (a member who lost both his legs in combat)—there has been a change of tune.

We can no longer ignore our students’—our childrens’—calls to action.

What these students and their supporters are proving now is that you can support the Second Amendment, but also support measures that keep us safer.

French Hill has received more money from the NRA than any member in Congress. While I’d like to think he’d have the fortitude to support common-sense gun safety measures despite these contributions, we all know how this works. And unsurprisingly, Hill has been silent while other Republicans and even the Bishop Anthony Taylor of Hill’s home church have come out strongly in favor of action.

It’s time to work together on this issue. We can be safer AND keep our guns. 

UPDATE: A white nationalist group is reportedly joining the March for Our Lives and a pro-gun group in Bentonville protests.

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