TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 15-year-old JJ Williams is taking a stand.
"I wrote a tweet on the day of the Uvalde shooting about how mad about everything I was," said Williams.
As a student himself, news of the shooting hit close to home.
"We're not going to stand by and do nothing. We're going to fight for our right to go to school safely," said Williams.
He, and other youth leaders, are organizing the March For Our Lives rally in Tucson. The event is happening across the U.S. this Saturday. The main goal is to take a stand against gun violence.
"It is partly a mental health issue, but it's not just a mental health issue. There are too many guns. It's too easy to buy guns," said Williams.
Others have a different perspective. John Petrush has owned John's Guns and Ammo in Tucson for eight years. He believes current gun laws aren't the problem.
"I would say about 95% of the time, if somebody is going to use a firearm for malintention, they're not going to buy it from a gun store. They're going to steal it. They're not obtaining it legally, so that would bypass any laws or stipulations that are on the books now," said Petrush.
Above all, Williams wants Saturday's rally to encourage others to stick up for what they believe in.
"Part of our goal is to just get people to register to vote. Vote. However you choose, but vote," said Williams.
The March For Our Lives rally in Tucson will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Armory Park on Saturday, June 11.
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Megan Meier is a reporter for KGUN 9. Megan graduated from Arizona State Universityʼs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications in May 2018. While pursuing her degree in broadcast journalism, Megan interned at the City of Phoenix. Share your story ideas and important issues with Megan by emailing megan.meier@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
