Students to take message to country

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High students plan to take bus tours across the country this summer to promote change after the shooting at their high school that killed 17 people in February.

The effort involves encouraging young people to register to vote, and championing gun control by naming politicians who accept donations from the National Rifle Association.

In March, hundreds of thousands of young people rallied in Washington and across America to press for gun control.

Now, the student activists from the Parkland school want to create national momentum again by travelling to meet as many people as possible and win their support.

They may include victims of gun violence, gun owners and student leaders who galvanised support in their cities.

March for Our Lives’ ‘‘Road to Change’’ is a natural progression to the movement to ‘‘harness the energy’’ to make politicians accountable, said student activist Cameron Kasky. ‘‘Real change is brought about by getting out there and making politicians accountable. We can fix the political system; we can make it better.’’

Donations from across the country to their cause will pay for the students accommodation along the way and for the bus company. Students said the donations came through their website.

A spokesperson for a PR and marketing agency assisting the students could not estimate the cost of the tour. – TNS

AP Cameron Kasky, centre, speaks during a news conference yesterday. A day after graduating from high school, a group of Florida school shooting survivors has announced a multi-state bus tour to ‘‘get young people educated, registered and motivated to vote’’.