Students accuse leaders of standing by while watching ‘massacre of our youth’

As hundreds of people held a rally in Washington D.C. to demand lawmakers not turn their heads away from gun safety laws, some students in New Jersey held an event to explain how gun violence has left them dealing with trauma.

Dozens gathered at Lawrenceville High School on Monday to address gun violence and to send a message to politicians.

"How dare they preach leadership as they sit comfortably watching the massacre of our youth,” said one student.

"We want to live and dream in a world where we don't have to rely on luck to survive,” said another.

The students say that they are dealing with trauma because of the recent string of mass shootings across the United States.

“Anywhere you go, you’re looking for an exit just in case something like that would happen,” said a student.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the shootings, experts say that teen mental health is a growing crisis. Many have felt on edge since the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. This includes the teacher.

New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. But students say that they hope with the New Jersey’s primary on Tuesday, guns will remain in focus.

"Not a lot of adults have grown up in a world where they had to hide in the corner of a classroom and these kids all have ever since preschool,” said one teacher.

The rally came as a teen faces charges for a social media threat against the West Windsor Plainsboro School District. Police say the threat was not credible.