Lexington Park, MD – Just months after a tragic shooting at Great Mills High School, students have rose to action. Student activists Jaxon O’Mara, 17 and Mollie Davis, 18 have met with local political officials including Congressman Steny Hoyer [D- MD District 5], Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous and his Republican opponent, Governor Larry Hogan. Their organization, Students for A Safer Maryland, created to reach their goals of school and firearm safety, is at the forefront of this activism.
In addition to meeting with political officials statewide, Jaxon, a rising Great Mills senior, and Mollie, a rising college freshman, held a rally July 21 with around 100 people in attendance to pressure Maryland lawmakers to enact new gun legislation. Jaxon also said it was, “mainly to get the word out about Great Mills and the Capital Gazette shooting, two shootings that haven’t received much attention or support.”
Four Great Mills students, as well as other community members, will now make a trip to Parkland, Florida, the site of another tragic school shooting, to pay respects to those who lost their lives there, as well as to meet with survivors of the shooting to continue the healing process. Jaxon said, “no amount of therapy will help more than seeing someone who went through the same situation.” They have raised $3,000 through a GoFundMe campaign that will cover the cost of students traveling there.
These students will also receive “Stop the Bleed” training from the Make Our Schools Safe organization, which teaches students immediate first aid in the case of an emergency.
When asked what she would say if she could speak to all Maryland voters, Jaxon simply said, “Vote. Make informed decisions, and support candidates that are going to support gun violence prevention measures.” Their next steps regarding gun safety involve utilizing voter registration to get more voters involved in their efforts, as well as organizing ride-shares to ensure that Marylanders come out to vote Tuesday, Nov. 6.
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