US
Students Lead Anti-Gun Die-In, Storm Ted Cruz’s Office
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Kids staged die-ins in Washington, D.C., and Mar-a-Lago, Fla., using the second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting to promote anti-gun legislation.
A die-in is a demonstration where people lie on the ground as if dead, reminiscent of the 2009 planking craze. It was organized by National Die-In, a student-led protest group demanding “common sense gun control.” The organization’s website does not clarify what is meant by common sense gun control, but states its mission is to end “lethal legislation that refuses to pinpoint the common denominator of gun violence, guns.”
Fewer than 50 people participated in the Florida die-in, which was held across the street from President Donald Trump’s vacation residence. The activists laid on the grass for 12 minutes, which they said represented how often there is a gun fatality somewhere in the world, reported the Sun Sentinel. However, a statement from National Die-In said 12 minutes — or 720 seconds — represents the “approximate number of people who have died in a mass shooting since the Pulse Nightclub Massacre.”
The Florida protest will also include a memorial service at Pulse nightclub and a church will ring its bell 49 times, once for each of the victims killed in the 2016 massacre.
A die-in was also held in Washington, D.C., where activists laid down outside of the U.S. Capitol Building. Afterwards, students stormed into Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s office where they laid on the floor of the Texas senator’s office chanting, “Where’s Ted?” and protesting against the money Cruz has received from National Rifle Association contributions.
WATCH:
LIVE: Students are at the Capitol holding a die-in for stricter gun laws, 2 years after Pulse. #NationalDieInDay https://t.co/YA56oTCWS2
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 12, 2018
When given warning, the students left Cruz’s offices, but several students might face arrest.
#BREAKING: Students sitting-in on Ted Cruz’s DC office demanding gun control. #NationalDieInDay https://t.co/0QVRLXsQi4
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) June 12, 2018
Tuesday’s die-ins are the second such events to be organized by National Die-In. Student activists participated in die-ins at various Publix stores in May, protesting the chain’s donations to Adam Putman’s gubernatorial campaign, a self-declared “proud NRA sellout.”
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