April 14, 2018
From left: Fifth grade student Lily O’Neil, 11, waits her turn as classmate Matthew Heckel, 10, speaks about the futility of beefed-up security measures at schools to a large crowd gathered Saturday afternoon in Fairfax along the sidewalk of the National Rifle Association headquarters at 11250 Waples Mill Road. They attend George Mason Elementary School in the City of Alexandria and don’t see how clear plastic backpacks, active shooter drills and arming teachers with weapons can ensure their safety in the classroom. “If a trained security guard can’t control his gun, why should teachers,” asked O’Neil in reference to an incident March 13 at the George Washington Middle School on Mount Vernon Avenue, where a school resource officer accidentally discharged his service weapon in his office. “Can you feel my fear of being shot in school at any time?” The accident — which caused no harm to the police officer or others — is under investigation. The students who spoke Saturday will attend George Washington Middle School next year.
Stories this photo appears in:
Local Youth Rally in Fairfax for Better Gun Safety Laws
NRA protest Saturday draws more than 300 activists.
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