By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
As the national March for Our Lives rally in Washington D.C. takes place on Saturday, folks here in Oxford will be rallying on the downtown Square in support of gun safety legislation.
“Once again, in the wake of the terrible shootings in Uvalde and elsewhere in our country, the need for action is sorely felt,” said Don Mason, organizer of the Oxford event. “So we have taken the initial steps to make sure we will have a nonpartisan March For Our Lives in Oxford this Saturday, to coincide with such vitally important events in Washington, DC and cities all over the country.”
The march and rally will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday on the steps of City Hall.
“Following brief remarks, we will march around the square and return to City Hall for a rally and speaker remarks in support of gun safety legislation,” Mason said.
People are invited and encouraged to bring signs and banners; however, by city ordinance, they cannot be attached to sticks or poles.
The first national March For Our Lives march in Washington D.C. was organized mostly by high school students after the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida.
After the Robb Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, MFOL organized another nationwide protest for this Saturday in Washington, D.C. and is once again, calling for “common-sense gun laws and universal background checks.”
Mason said the list of speakers for the Oxford event has not yet been finalized; however, Ret. Admiral Jamie Barnett is expected to make remarks at the rally.
The Oxford Board of Aldermen approved the permit for the rally on Tuesday.
Mason said it was important that people in Oxford and Lafayette County come together because the LOU community is not immune to gun violence.
On Thursday, there were two shootings in Oxford. One person was killed during an apparent domestic situation and another was injured in a separate incident.
“Our purpose is to show that we care here in Oxford and Lafayette County. We care because gun violence could strike us here too, anywhere and at any time,” he said. “The lives of those of any age horrifically killed in schools, churches, grocery stores, clubs, or any other venue anywhere in the country matter to us. They matter deeply to us, as if they were our own family, friends or neighbors. So we must gather and ask ourselves and each other: What can we do? What must we do? What must we not do? And how do we go about it?”
For more information or to volunteer to help, email Mason at dmason222@gmail.com.
