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Washington State High School Students Rally For Gun Control In Olympia

Enrique Perez de la Rosa
/
Northwest News Network
High school students rallied at the Washington state Capitol Tuesday demanding restrictions on purchases of military-style weapons and tougher background checks.

More than 100 Washington high school students rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday demanding restrictions on purchases of military-style weapons and tougher background checks.

Washington lawmakers are days away from wrapping up the legislative session. But they still face pressure to pass gun control measures to prevent mass shootings.

Anna Justen is an Ingraham High School junior in Seattle. She said seeing victims from the recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida has spurred students into action.

“Seeing their faces makes me think of my sister, makes me think of myself, makes me think of my friends and it terrifies me,” she said.

The students are supporting efforts to pass a gun control bill before the end of the session.

While they were at the Capitol, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a gun control measure that previously passed the Legislature—a ban on bump stocks, the device used in last year’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Washington is now the third state in the country since the that shooting to ban the devices.