Ten survivors of the deadly February mass shooting at a Florida high school will visit Utah this summer as one stop on their nationwide road trip to register young voters, challenge members of Congress and continue the political momentum behind their grassroots movement calling for stricter gun laws.
The “Road to Change” bus tour[1] organizers chose Utah — a pro-gun stronghold — as a destination because of its all-Republican federal delegation and hearty support of the National Rifle Association, according to its website. They’ve singled out Rep. Mia Love, who faces a tough midterm bid for re-election[2] and whom they hope to unseat, said Elizabeth Love, 18, who graduated from Salt Lake City’s West High School this month and helped lead March for Our Lives SLC[3].
“We have some very important congressional races that are pivotal to the movement going on here,” Love added. “We are advocating for common-sense reform, and we want our politicians to do the same.”
The road trip, funded through donations, kicks off Friday in Chicago. After that, half of the 20 student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, some recently graduated, will visit every congressional district in their state. The second group will tour through 20 states with 50 planned stops.
In some cities, the students intend to meet with NRA members. Madalena McNeil, who advises the group of teens involved with the Utah movement and is helping to organize the visit from the Florida students, said she hasn’t gotten that request yet but wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Plenty of people here, including many students outside of the
