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CTX family heading to D.C. to support survivors of Parkland shooting

Posted at 5:43 PM, Mar 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-22 18:54:06-04

Survivors of last month's deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida are heading to Washington D.C., taking their fight for stricter gun laws to our nation's capital through an event called March for Our Lives.

Mike and Rolyn Garibay are joining in on the effort in D.C. to support the survivors of the shooting.

"It's them," Mike said. "They have inspired me."

The pain still remains for the pair, after watching another shooter claim the lives of 17 innocent students and faculty inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

"To see something like this happen over and over and over and we don't do anything, this is the reason why we're going," Mike said. "Enough is enough." 

Mike and Rolyn will leave for D.C. Friday morning to participate in Saturday's march, where people will stand together to demand action on gun reform.

"I want to support them and I'm hoping a lot of people support them," Mike said.

The couple said the driving force behind this decision is their two children, who are both still in school.

"My son is a little worried, but we pray, we've been praying that it's going to be a safe march," Rolyn said.

Mike said the survivors, who are refusing to stay silent, have also motivated them to join the movement.

"I hope they're going to be our senators and congressmen one day, that's what I hope," Mike said. "They truly show the thing that we need most right now in Washington." 

The pair hopes the steps they take this weekend bring them closer to change across the nation.

"When everything is calm, it still pops into my head," Mike said. "What if this happened in my son's school or my daughter that's in college? We're doing this for the students and children that are in school."

The March for Our Lives website reports that more than 800 marches will happen across the world this Saturday. To find one happening near you, click here

March for Our lives in Waco starts at 3 p.m. in Heritage Square. There will also be a counter-protest happening at the same time and location. Members from This is Texas Freedom Force will be taking a stand for our 2nd Amendment rights.

March for Our lives in Killeen starts at 5 p.m. at the Killeen Independent School District. 

Central Texas News Now also reached out to Congressman Bill Flores (TX-17) to hear his stance on gun reform. He said the following in a statement:

“The common denominator in many mass shootings is the existence of an underlying mental illness. To reduce gun violence in our nation we must confront the realities of severe mental illness and the connection to violence. As we explore better ways of identifying people with mental health challenges, it is important that we continue to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens while at the same time working to improve public safety. Today’s House-passed government funding bill includes provisions to improve public safety by providing funding for mental health programs, strengthening the reporting requirements to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System and including measures from the STOP School Violence Act which provides resources to create a safer environment at our children’s schools.”

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