AUSTIN, Texas — On Tuesday, Austinites will join other parts of the country to rally for gun reform outside senators' office.
Leaders of the "Take Action: Stop Gun Violence" rally are calling for lawmakers to put gun safety legislation in place immediately. The event is being organized by the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT).
"Students deserve safe and welcoming schools, and parents need to know their children are safe. Educators deserve to be able to teach; they should not be forced to be human shields to protect their students," organizers wrote on the event's webpage. "Community members deserve to know their schools, stores and places of worship are safe; and they must not be scared to live their values. This is a public health crisis."
"[U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz] is beating a drum promoting the status quo (a status that has brought us six deadly mass shootings in Texas in the past five years) instead of leading in the U.S. Senate to establish simple first steps to gun access that a majority of Texans and Americans support," the Texas AFT wrote. "Cruz’s response to the slaughter of children—pushing for more armed school staff—is not only opposed by a vast majority of teachers, but also is an illogical idea that has not proven to be effective.
The rally will begin at noon at the Texas AFL-CIO Office, located at 1105 Lavaca Street. Demonstrators will then walk to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's office at the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, located at 300 E. Eighth Street.
Demonstrators in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are holding a similar rally.
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