Hundreds of students across the metro walked out of class, and they say they did so, for a good reason; to demand action against gun violence.
"We are walking out of class not to defy teachers, but to stand up for their own rights, to say all lives matter. We have hopes and dreams. We deserve to live," said Executive Director, of Minnesota Teen Activists, Jerome Treadwell.
Parents, gun control advocates, and representatives joined the students. Emergency room physician, Dr. Elise Hart, is among the parents rallying with the students. Dr. Hart, who is a mother of three, thanked the crowd, saying their walk out, is keeping children (like her young sons) safe.
"The number one cause of death for children in America--- gun violence--- is a hundred percent preventable," she said. "Demand laws that will protect you! I don't want to worry anymore when I drop my kids off. I don't want to see kids with gunshot wounds, in my emergency room."
Students, at the rally, say even though they have grown up frequently hearing about mass shootings, it cannot be the norm. Jerome Treadwell, the Minnesota Teen Activists, executive director says,
"It is a shame that time and time again, we can go to school or our grocery stores with a fear of, are we going to live? Are we going to be able to come home to our families? Is this place that we spend eight hours a day going to be safe?"