debbie's giffords was one of the giffords wasbby one of the victims. and it was when the gun was reloading with another clip that he was tackled to the ground. otherwise, there would have been more people that would have been harmed that day. and so, it is another common sense thing that people are asking for, and that these lightts are bringing to as they argue this case that they don't want to be in a school where they had this kind of violence that is threatened. host: joining us now in the studio is lane murdoch, the petition starter for the change that were petition that led to the national school walkout, and she is a student and rich hill high school in connecticut.

lane, thank you so much for being here. decisionus, how your to push for this national walkout came about. ? ? it was february on valentine's day, it was a -- you can to hearing the news out of parkland. i think this is something that has become deeply desensitized in our country, and once i realized that was reflecting upon that, i thought there was a need for change, so i made the petition. it was that thought. to bed and woke up, and we had something crazy like 1000 signatures and it kept growing. host: and you were talking about how you, yourself felt even though the shooting happened thousands of miles away, talk

about how this impacted you personally. have you seen or witnessed gun violence, or was it the impact of the connection of being a student? guest: anyway, it is a common nation. i am in connecticut and live 20 minutes away from sandy hook, and i was in elementary school when that happened, and i cannot remember much from that age, but the fact i remember remember sandy hook happening, speaks for itself. i combination with the fact am a high school student, i am 15, a sophomore, and all of those parkland kids are high schoolers as well, so i think you add in the past history, plus it is not hard to imagine being in their position, and i think that is why, for me, i wanted to make a change, and i felt so motivated to, and students all over the country are motivated. host: talk a little bit about that motivation, and the fact you see students organizing protest like that -- like this. we did see sandy hook happening

and it was so gut wrenching for the nation to see, but you did not see this sort of reaction come out of it. do you think it is because now, young people, the reach of social media, our young people more engaged? what makes this different from sandy hook, columbine, all of the other horrific attacks we have seen before? guest: i think in a way it is a that the youth of today has tools that people have not had before, social media and communication has never been easier. the fact that i can make a , i think it is that, you have tools, and you have a bunch of kids who have been doing lockdown drill since the first grade. it is not hard for them to imagine. for many, they have experienced gun violence in some capacity. host: ok. have homerer -- we

calling in from a louisiana. and thankod morning you for taking my call. i was born and raised in east texas, and i have been dealing with guns and i was about eight years old. .ut it was a shotgun think you don't need that. clip and all that but the kids in the schools are defenseless. to gok that is a coward there. my betterment. i am 75 years old. i just don't understand the nonsense talking about the second amendment. i thought for that -- i fought for that.

amount of the bullets. host: i want to give lane a chance to respond. guest: i am matching from texas, so i appreciate your call. i think you are right in the sense that right now, we are looking at universal background checks. 97% of americans want them. we are looking at things that are common sense. common sense gun laws. you are right. you thought for the second thedment -- you fought for second amendment. host: usa today writes this week definese shootings that an entire generation, talking about how many young people plan to join in marches or support the message. it says the threat of mass shootings is the defining fear for the generation that grew up in the shadow of columbine. a usa today poll finds three in 1 -- three in four young people

people plan to- join in the march for our lives rally in washington. of anxietye depth that school violence fuels. talk about, you mentioned before that students go through drills. when i was in high school, we had tornado drills, but we never thought about someone shooting in our school. do you think that is changing the way people think about guns moving forward? guest: i think it definitely is. lockdown drills are for safety and unnecessary, but it does install a lot of fear growing up. the fact that in fifth-grade, i thought, ok, if i am in the bathroom if something happens, what should i do?

no fifth-grader should have to think in that way. fear justified a generation, but more importantly, how we are dealing with the theory how we are planning to stop if there is far more important. is on the linee from new york city. caller: hi, good morning, god bless you. and god bless, everyone. i don't have to see what happens . these young people will kill people in school, and then you are not putting them to death. [indiscernible] it is no fair. a'm going to give pierre

chance to turn down his loins a week and he him more clearly, but what about gun free zones? lawmakers are saying if you advertise there are no guns on school property, that could invite people to come in, and see students as an easy target. guest: in regards to gun-free zones, in proposition that is being pushed by a lot of our elected officials are important, and there are points we need to discuss and think about. but a lot of the time, and i think the use -- and i think they are distractions for what is getting done. we have our demands. right now, i think they are putting us off. host: what about the protest themselves? the walkouts were criticized who thought, this might be an effort for students to take some time off school, and just to be more

feelr students will pressured or after talks -- pressure or ostracized if they don't. when theu know, walkouts happened in march, on march 14, it was cold and a lot of people were out in the snow and out in the wind. the ministry were out there were productive and quite short. for people who are thinking we are doing this for free time or to skip school are not thinking about the big picture. the students have been organizing for weeks. we are working very hard. we need to have more faith in our youth. secondly, when it comes to arele thinking that we going to ostracized students who don't want to participate, schools have been sure to make classes continue happening when

walkouts are occurring. we are deadly not trying to pressure -- we are definitely not trying to pressure anyone to do something they don't want to do. this is your first amendment for free speech. regardless of what you are saying, it is your right to say it. calling have jeffrey from greensboro, north carolina. good morning. are you there? go ahead. caller: good morning, thank you for taking the call. first off, i was trying to remember some of the concepts, what you and your guest were speaking on as far as you were saying when you went to school, you had a tornado watch, or a drill, and then she was expressing about the tragic shooting up in connecticut when she said she want to preschool, and was raised up there. me, theen and there, to tragedy of the connecticut was a no-brainer. those were innocent babies.

and to know people who were in power that, it really comes down to the financial benefit these gun manufacturers are getting , you're on tvagic now, expressing another tragedy with these firearms. there is no way they do not have a resolution. this young lady sitting here at a resolution to start this moment. there is no way that they cannot put a halt on people illegally going to a gun show, and purchasing an ar-15 assault weapon with no training. it should be implemented without in a question -- without any question. you should have law enforcement credentials to be able to have that in your possession. that is a serious responsibility to where you are getting anyone just because they have the money in their pocket, can go in and

buy it with no intention, as bill nelson express, universal background check. host: i want to give lane a chance to address that issue of background checks and the nra. expressed concern about students in schools, but they proposed things like arming teachers, having resource officers in the schools who are armed. what do you say to proposals like that? guest: as far as the nra goes, you know, they are a corporation. they -- the nra has threatened students. they have had aggressive pose, things like that online on social media. forar as their proposals things like arming teachers, i know personally from experience, no teacher must have a gun. we have seen in schools that have teachers with guns, there has been tons of accidents with guns going off, and kids getting

injured. i really don't think to solve this problem, we need to take guns into the schools. i am 15 and i can see very clearly that is a backwards way of thinking. host: we talked earlier about -- thet that schools come out in the form of mass violence. from the washington post today, it says, the emotional damage children suffer from these shootings can be as crippling as other highly publicized assaults. a study said kids who witnessed a gunner knife can be just as traumatized children who have been shot or stabbed. today,out what happens addresses people were gun violence is a problem. sometimes, that gun violence is

from handguns, not from the higher powered guns we have seen focused on lately. guest: gun violence is something that affects every community. and i think that is why we have so much power behind this movement is it affects every american. that a lotwe can see of the media, the park when kids are predominantly caucasian. i'm caucasian. and the media has been favorable. if you look at things like black lives matter and you see the backlash from the media, white privilege is a factor in this. so, in regard to gun violence in cities and suburbs and everywhere across america, this is an issue we can all unite together in. and i think that is going to be a part of our success, is as putting aside our differences, and realizing that no one wants her kid getting killed. -- isdeb is on the life on the line from houston, texas. caller: hi, kimberly. thank you, c-span. i would like to associate myself

with the students and all they represent. as a woman who can be talking about privilege, i think that is very representative of their coming-of-age. i was coming of age in the 1960's, and vietnam was everywhere, and i wanted to make my one point about the guns themselves. automatic or the ones that replicate them. the people who came of age like iraqns, came of age during war when it started 18 years ago, and all of a sudden, all kinds of people that did not have much opportunity, were sent to the middle east, and a lot of young people got their hands on these things, and in the contractors came over there, and they were excellent terror, and all of them comey back -- and all of them come back, and what did those guns represent during

the iraq war? they wanted to bring them back to our civilian life. we did not make a way for them to come back peacefully. they cannot get paid medicine anymore. we just have to take a look at the culture. how did these things common, because -- how did these things come in? i just wanted to leave you with that. the last thing, the patriarchy, not return of -- not paternal, or patriarchy as a father, but these are men with guns. women are trying to solve it. my sons are 22 and 28, and we got to see they are not like the men who want to run around and identify with guns. anybody's writes away, but i want to get us to where we can agree.

host: thank you for the call. guest: yeah, i think when it comes to military and people who for ourved, they fought freedoms and i will forever be grateful. i think separating civilian life notilitary life, we have been the best in that transition, and that is something that needs work. as far asw the money to take the guns with themrites -- as far as they wanted to take the guns with them, that is something that will be hard to dismantle. again, i respect anybody who is ever served, and i understand maybe the connection you would have with the weapons that you use, but realizing that young -- thatost the lives young people's lives are more important. host: christopher, the 17-year-old -- a 17-year-old calling from miami. are you participating in the

market in miami today? d.c.r: no, i am driving to for a project. host: great. you are on with lane murdoch. go ahead. caller: well, in my opinion, i believe that we do have the right to bear arms, but we need to be stricter on how we take care of the situation because lately, i have been very worried about my safety. not just my safety in general, but the safety of others around me. when i go to a school where i am pretty much friends with everyone. and i guess sometimes i just fear that anything could happen. i could be in class, walking into a class or eating lunch, someone could come up to the school, and something could terribly happen. like i said, yes, we have the right to bear arms, but we should be more stricter and have

more background checks. ask you, you say you fear of violence when you are in school, have you experienced that know people who have, or is it just even having that experience personally, you still have that fear? caller: actually, no, i have not gone through an experience like that, but my father had a close encounter like that when he was in high school. host: and what would you like to see happen after today's marches, christopher? caller: after today's marches? i hope there is more stricter gun laws, and i hope there is more like awareness about people buying guns, you know? soause maybe a kid my age or can have someone older bribe and thatuy them again, person can give the child a gun,

and then, you know, there is many things that can happen. types ofmany ways that events like this can occur. we just need to be more careful what we do nowadays, and parents are the ones who are supporting us, you know? as we are the future of this country. moreeah, we just need safety with our guns and we need to be more careful with us children do. lane bringsopher, up the issue of parents. how are the parents in your community reacting to your efforts in the protest that of the building across the country? guest: as far as my parents, they had been very supportive. they don't offer help unless i ask for it. i think that is great. it is important for me for it to remain student-run, and both of my parents come from different

political idealism. in regards to the adults in my community, it has been an interesting response. they are very supportive of the fact that someone is directing this movement, but i don't think all of them are thrilled about the idea that i am energizing and empowering youth. sometimes, i think that scares people. host: lane murdoch, national school walkout finder and choose.org starter. we thank you so much for joining us today. guest: thank you for having me. host: we're spending today's show talking about today's march for our lives here in washington and across the country. half a million people expected here. we can see some of them already gathering and preparing for that march, which technically begins at noon, and will continue through 3:00 p.m. today through the streets of capitol hill, and

we expect millions more to march in more than 800 cities across the world today. some in europe and other countries have already begun, and have taken place there, we are waiting for the one here to begin as we continue with your calls. we have a 17-year-old calling from dallas. what you think about the protested a? caller: about the protested it, i think it is time we take action on gun control. i am so proud to be a part of the generation who is. so while the second amendment gives the american people their right to bear arms, it was written and instituted in 1791. now, it took me a little bit to figure this out, the guns much different from now and then. so, i think with these new semiautomatic and automatic guns we