March 24, 2020 • 37 mins
In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, Sammy Jaye is joined by March For Our Lives activists David Hogg, Ariel Hobbs & Alexis Confer. In the wake of the Parkland shooting two years ago, high school students were transformed into advocates for gun control in the United States. Over Skype, the activists share what they've gone through the last two years that has given them hope, the craziest things that have been said about them in the media, why people are buying guns in the middle of a pandemic, and what we can all do, right now, to make our country safer for children and adults.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi guys, It's Sammy Jay and welcome to a very
special episode of als Bureau podcast. This is actually our
first virtual episode that we take UM due to the coronavirus,
and I hope all of you are safe and practicing
(00:20):
social distancing UM. This is a very personal and important
episode launching today. I am so honored to have three
members of the Mark for a Lives organization on my podcast.
Today is actually the two year anniversary of the Mark
for Our Lives demonstration that was one of the largest
protests in American history. I talked to student members David Hogg,
(00:43):
Aeriel Hawks and executive director Alexis Confert. We talk a
lot about your plans for what the misconceptions are about
gun controlled, what it's like running and creating of movement,
well being college, and so much more. I really hope
you guys enjoyed this episode and I cannot wait for
people crazy times we're living in with the coronavirus. How
(01:06):
is everybody doing it? Sucks? It's gonna be honest. Besides
the fact that you're now on online school, you are
super busy because March is the two year anniversary of
the March for a Lives demonstration which just took the
country by storm. First of all, it is crazy that
(01:26):
it has been two years, and in honor of the
two year anniversary, I know that you're launching your new campaign,
Our Power, just to start. What's the goal of this campaign?
The main goal is to get young people engaged and
out to like more legist later site. To be quite
fran quick, you care about us in the first place,
because UM, I think we can all realize that young
(01:47):
people are a sect of society sadly that aren't really
cared about in today's political environment. UM, even though I
would argue that we're the ones that should be cared about, UM,
just as much as anybody else, if not even more
than ever it else, because we're the future of the country, UM.
And I would argue that we're probably the most valuable,
the most important asset for our country to protect, because
(02:08):
we are the future of the United States. What is
it like trying to launch a campaign in the midst
of the coronavirus and having to do everything remotely. UM.
It hasn't been easy, that's for sure, and we've had
to figure out how to lay on some of our
other pillars of organizing. I guess you could say, um,
within the activism environment, luckily through different social media platforms
(02:31):
and being a movement that was really born on social media,
I would stay in the first place. Uh. It's been
somewhat of a tough transition, but not nearly as tough
as I think many other organizations are having to go
through right now, and luckily as young people were really
adapted being on social media, UM and scaring uh politicians
and creating some good trouble on there through Twitter. You're
(02:53):
very good at that, by the way. Oh, thank you.
I appreciate it. Yeah. I I just try my best
to spell it correctly most the time, which is difficult enough.
But yeah, I struggle with that all the time. Yeah.
Twitter really needs an editing feature. Maybe that can be
the next thing to implement. Yeah, exactly, that's what I think.
I know, you guys are also implementing a new piece plan.
(03:15):
How did this plan come about? Um? So the plan
really came about the idea of where it really came about,
I would say, um, at the beginning of last fall. Um,
when uh, you know it was it had been a
year after the midterms and we're really thinking, you know,
how do we come up with a comprehensive thing for
young people to stand behind as a way of reducing
(03:38):
gun violence and having a pretty major impact because you know, um,
it feels like a lot of the time that Congress
to an extent, just as this legislation piece by piece,
and we don't want this to be one lot at
a time. We want we want this to be a
set of policies within one much larger law to be
implemented because we know that, you know, there isn't any
(04:00):
one law specifically that's going to be able to stop
all gun violence. It's going to have to be a
comprehensive set of those laws. Um. And we wanted to
put that together so that we could say instead of saying,
you know, we support universal background checks and um, you know,
disarming domestic users and individuals like that. Uh, we just
support this broad policy platform known as the Peace Plan
(04:23):
for you to implement as a comprehensive plan to address
gun violence and set on an audacious goal of cutting
gun violence and half over the next ten years, which
would be about two lives. That's insane. Yeah, what was
it like creating a plan like that? Um, it was
pretty Uh, it was a challenge for sure, because UM things,
(04:44):
there's a lot of weight and there's a lot of
responsibility that you take on UM as an organization when
doing that and setting out this because you know, UM,
it's easy to see on the TV and just look
at the it's easier to look at what happens after
these instances of gun violence and just see a number,
as oftentimes we do, of just the number of people
(05:05):
have died from gun violence or have died in a
same mass shooting or just shooting. UM. What I would
argue is actually much harder, though, is to is for
a lot of people to remember that these aren't numbers,
these are human beings in the first place. And there's
a lot of responsibility UM that comes with that, and
there's a lot of weight, UM, and a lot of
thinking that we had to put into it. UM. So
(05:25):
the process really just looked like talking to a bunch
of researchers because I myself, as you know, a college freshman, UM,
all right, I am not very qualified to write that myself. UM.
So we talked to a bunch of researchers around the
country and basically ask, you know, what are the best policies, UM,
if implemented today, regardless of the political climate, could there
(05:46):
be not only reduce mass shootings, but everyday gun violence,
unintentional shootings and gun suicides as well. Um, because we
know that this isn't just an issue that affects that
that is about mass shootings already one type of shooting.
It's about anybody that dies as a result of a gunshot. Um.
And Yeah, we talked to those researchers, asked them, and
(06:08):
then brought the policy and announced it something that people
could really get behind and be like, you know, you know,
ex congressman, like you want to know what we support,
just look up the Peace Plan. It's right here. Like
these policies, it's it's honestly not that hard to understand.
This does not have to be an issue. And literally
every other country or every other more developed country besides
(06:29):
from the United States, has figured out how to do this,
and you can too. I think it's so wonderful how
far this movement has come in the past two years.
What is it like creating a piece of legislation and
talking to politicians and really, in my opinion, helping to
change history. Also, how can people of any age get
involved to help? Yeah, I think a lot of it. Um.
(06:54):
It's a big learning curve, that's for sure. It's been
a big it's been a big experience. But I say
what I've learned the most it is just honestly, um,
you know, going out there initially instilled. To this point,
it's just a bunch of piste off teenagers um, and
college students, which I would argue are some of the
best people his Berkeley speaking getting ship done in politics. UM. Uh.
(07:18):
You know, it's great because you're able to just say,
you know, like you know, this is wrong, everything is wrong,
you're doing all of this wrong. Um. But it's also
scary because you realize, to be frank, how many how
many I would say, elected officials sadly just do not
realize the weight of the responsibility that they have. And
it's kind of ironic because we always say, we always
(07:38):
see a bunch of stuff, or we always hear from
older people, politicians included, you don't know what you're talking about,
your irresponsible, you know, you're a teenager and stuff like that.
And what I've come to realize is actually it's quite
the opposite. A lot of the time. It's especially when
it comes to elected officials. A lot of the time,
it's piste off teenagers and college students that care significantly
(07:59):
more than they do about the actual effects of their
legislation in the first place. UM. And it's only invigorated
me more to want to get more young people into
politics and get politically involved. UM. And I would say
for anybody that wants to get involved, to get started,
you can just go to Mars foral Lives dot com
um and either join a local chapter or sign up
(08:20):
for any of the silet ter um or set up
your own chapter. So this question is for Ariel and David, Um,
what is it like balancing everything just being in college?
And I'll let I'll let the college senior take this one. Earl. Yeah,
(08:40):
Like David mentioned, I'm a college senior, so I got
I don't want to really say like the benefit, but
I had the experience of being in college before the
shooting happened, so I had already worked out, like, and
I work while I'm at school, So I had already
worked out the balance of like doing like managing school
(09:03):
life and then also managing whatever else I wanted to do.
So I kind of had that benefit definitely being a
board member and being involved with an organization like March
of Our Lives is like an added number of UM hours.
It's a it's a lot more work. But um, since
this is a student led organization, we are all very
(09:25):
understanding with each other and like understand that, like we
can't do everything, and that we can't be everywhere, and
sometimes you know, like the best we can do with
stand OUTO tweet or repost something on Instagram or something
like that, and that you know, our work for the day.
But um, it also gets kind of hard. And I
(09:45):
know there's something I experienced the last semester, not committing
myself to everything, alexis what's that like? Because I know
you've worked for a bunch of other people before, So
how has that been, um creating this whole plan since
last ball, Well, I will say entering into the space
(10:07):
where there is such commitment from the young people who
have founded it. I mean, it's an amazing question you
asked them about how they're balancing their time, because every
single time I've talked to David or Ariel and like, Okay,
what are you doing for fun this week? It's just
for you for your mental health. It's not school, it's
not March for our lives because you know, I wanted
to be in the space where I just saw such
(10:27):
incredibly dedicated young people. You know, I've been an activist
since I was in college, and see, um, the ideas
excited me. Like walking into a room where there were
already so many ideas, so much passion behind it, and
thousands of students who are ready to go, you know,
run right into it and take this on. Gives you
a lot of energy to do any sort of planning.
(10:48):
And so you know, my goal and the team's goal
is how can we harness their energy, really clear the
lanes for them so that when we are calling David
or Ariel somebody else and quite franklies constant dialogue. And
when we are we are like a family. We are
very involved with our student board members, which David and
Ariel both are, our student Congress, which is over twenty
(11:09):
young people from across the country somewhere in schools and
we're not in school, um, but they're all elected by
their peers, and the really an advisory board to me
and the team to keep us accountable. Um yeah, I
mean making history is not easy, just to say the
police and do you guys enjoy college do you guys
go to parties? Do you guys do that or is
it just close friends? And what's the balance within that.
(11:32):
I mean, it's it's for me, it's pretty cold in Boston,
so I don't like going outside very much. UM. But
for me a lot of the time, it just comes
down to building a routine around your activism UM and
not letting your activism become your life, which is extremely
difficult when you care so much about something UM and
(11:53):
what our main focus here really and I think part
of what Mixes Special as an organization specifically built is
a place for were and buy young people UM, which
I know we've had to Uh, we've had to work
through a lot because obviously having a budget called students
work full time isn't the most sustainable things. So what
we try to do is like after kids come out
of college, UM, like immediately after they come out of college,
(12:17):
trying to hire them to work on our field team
UM or when they're in college as with our our
regional directors, hiring them as part time as part time
staff that are working about twenty hours a week managing
several hundred chapters across the country as college students UM.
So that we try to avoid those all nighters. Um.
(12:37):
But yeah, it's a it's a very it's been, I
will say the hardest. One of the hardest things about
this job, aside from everything in the job specifically, is
learning how to gain a work life balance. So one
of the things that I've always been curious about is
how did you guys come up with any march for
our lives? Honestly, to be frank with you, I don't
(12:59):
even really remember because I was doing so much pressed
at that time. That wasn't my role. Um when we
started doing that, I think it was just more than anything, like, um, well,
we're doing a march, and you know it's around kids
not dying in like schools and in their communities or
in their homes. Um. Like, I honestly don't really even know,
(13:21):
because like one, even if I was in the room,
I like, I don't even remember, just like it's just
a blur because we're sleeping when we're doing the march
and everything we're sleeping, I would say, an average at
most of five hours to four hours a night, and
traveling every single day to a different state and things
like that for a month straight or a month and
a half straight. Uh, and your memory is just completely
(13:43):
done when when that happens, which is where we're trying
to avoid. Yeah, and I can't imagine what it's like
to go through this traumatizing event and then you're recounting
it the next day, two people impressed, and you're doing
that over and over. At this point when people ask
you about it, is it like, does it still feel
(14:05):
like you're there when you talk about it, or just
does it feel like a distant story you tell? UM?
It honestly just kind of to me, it feels a
lot like UM at the time, like I was obviously there,
but I really saw myself almost in the role of
a student journalist or almost like some kind of correspondent
(14:25):
or something. Um, not knowing if, like you know, the kids,
if me and my classmates were going to die at
that time. UM. So it's obviously triggering to an extent.
And I don't like to focus on it too much either,
because it's there's so many other stories to tell around
gun violence, you know, I'm just one of them, and
you get asked about it all the time still and
(14:46):
it's two years later. What is that? What is that
toold that takes on you mentally, it's pretty significant, and
I really try to balance it by focusing not letting
my like trauma, um my innovate me in that way,
but really try to have have hope for a better
future where those things never have have to happen again,
(15:07):
and a just future where no child has to live
in fear of gun violence in their school or in
their community. Because we live in a in a country
with a government that prioritizes equitable justice, which is what
I would define his freedom, um, to communities that have
been so disproportionately affected by purposeful historical injustices, be it
political injustice that results in school shootings, racial or economic
(15:30):
injustice that results in everyday shootings and gun suicides and
all these other different factors or forms of gun violence. UM.
But I really try to focus on, you know, the
future and having keeping that hope and positivity as hard
as hard as it is to find in this alive
because um to be frank like, if it was if
(15:52):
it was negativity or you know, hopelessness that ended, these
things are just sadness that would ended gun violence. Gun
violence had ended a long time ago, um, but sadly
we're still here and we still have a mission to
do because kun violence still exists, but it does take
a toll, and I think a large part of it
two comes down to checking room with yourself and having
people around you that allow you to step back and
(16:13):
know that you're okay. Um yeah, not so that you
don't feel like everything is on you constantly. And also
therapy is great. I love anything. Yeah. Going to school,
I've just experienced anxiety, especially since Parkland, just because you
everyone says it's not going to be your school, and
(16:33):
then that's what happens. How do you get through? And
what advice do you have for people who are in
college or high school just that are anxious during the
day because they hear something that frightens them. Really, there
is no way to respond to that because it's like,
you know, I think about it almost like our parents
or our parents parents in some cases, you know, going
(16:53):
through you know, nuclear drills at school where it's like,
oh God, that's prepared for this thing that shouldn't be opening,
and there's basically no way to survive. But because our
government can't figure out a way to stop it, um,
now we have to face the consequence. And like you
couldn't really go back to that time and just be like, yeah,
duck and cover, You'll be fine. There's just like a
nuclear blast coming your way. UM. But what does give
(17:17):
me hope is that that anxiety that people felt in
that time period is part of what fueled the anti
nuclear effort, and you know, throughout the seventies and eighties, UM,
that helped create you know, pretty major unilateral treaties between
the United States and the Soviet Union for arms reduction
and created a much safer future and in reducing the
(17:38):
likelihood of a nuclear war ever happening. And I think
sadly that that's probably going to be what's happening here
with gun laws in the future is all you know,
we're raising our politicians because of their inaction UM or
their ownership, I guess you could say of by organizations
like the n r A are creating a generation of
traumatized children, not just in schools but in their communities
(17:59):
to where you know, kids have to oftentimes, you know,
for for decades or hundreds of years, have had to
walk home or run home for if you're being shot
on a daily basis outside of their schools too, and
they never get talked about UM and we have to
create an interjust intergenerational coalition of youth from every community
where we know that if we aren't, if we're just
(18:19):
talking shootings and schools, but there's still it's still just
as like the shootings happen outside of someone's school or
a gun suicide is still just as likely. We still
have a major problem here. We can't leave people behind.
Do you think lockdown drills are effective? Because that's something
I've been curious about, because you have been in an
actual shooting, how can we change those situations to where
(18:40):
it can actually save lives? I would say lockdown drills
are probably just about as effective as nuclear bomb drills
when they are nuclear drills, like because I we don't
know well, I mean they basically said, hey, you're all
gonna die, just duck and cover and you'll be fine.
Of course you wouldn't be because like there's like two
(19:01):
winds or whatever that comes through at that time. It's
like they're trying to put a band aid on this
like massive wound where you're bleeding out, and it's just
like are you going to put a band aid on it?
Or you're gonna actually get in there and like get
some stitches on it to stop the bleeding, right, And
with that stitches in this metaphor, I guess you could
say is preemptive legislation that stops these things from ever happening.
So no, I don't think, but I don't think lockdown
(19:22):
drills are effective in any way, shape or form. And
if anything, they just traumatize us more. What are misconceptions
that people have about March for Lives and what you
guys want Because you're not trying to take away guns.
I think people forget that. That's the biggest one I
would say would be there, Yeah, where'd you trying to
(19:44):
take away their guns? Like UM on the World to
Change tour, And this is something David could speak to UM.
Outside of all of our events that we will go to,
we would have counter protesters showing up there with their
A R fifteens and they're like, actually bring them. Yeah
that's terrifying. Yeah, Like I know for sure they brought
(20:06):
them in Nevada and in Texas, but it's Nevada and Texas. Um, um,
yeah they would bring and if it wasn't like their
A R fifteens, they were like if their state had
concealed carry, they would carry um. And so one thing
like that was probably like the main thing that I
(20:27):
at least remember getting told. They're like, well, you're trying
to take away my guns, and I'm like, no, I'm not.
I'm just trying to make it harder for people that
should not have guns to get them, and then make
sure that we that the people that do have guns,
that we're going through the proper and necessary and comprehensive
steps to make sure that you are fit to own
(20:47):
that gun, and that when you do have that gun,
that you're using it in a responsible way to where
you're not putting yourself are other people into danger. And
so that's probably the biggest misconception in I would say.
Another one is that we have some type of like
ulterior motive, Like the conspiracies, oh god, oh yeah. People
(21:09):
think David's like some FBI informant, waits the craziest inspiracy
that you've heard. I can't even again to tell you,
um okay um. Probably one saying that I'm a twenty
like eight year old from California that was in prison. Um.
(21:33):
Another one saying I work for the FBI. UM, And
another one saying that there's a really big one that
that says that I wasn't at school that day, which
is completely false. Didn't you film it? Yeah, I was
at school, but they they edited the videos to make
it seem like I wasn't at school, because there's a
(21:54):
massive misinformation campaign against the survivors of gun violence. Because
what they say is if if you don't survive an
instance of gun violence and you're advocating for gun control,
what they'll tell you is, you can't be doing this
because like, you don't know what it's like to be
affected by gun violence. So what do they say to
the people that are affected by gun violence. They have
to discredit them in any way possible. So what many
(22:16):
organizations like the n r A and others have done
is pedal false conspiracy theories that literally bring us thousands
of death threats and also are completely false and misinformation
campaigns against us to try to discredit us as survivors
and say you weren't at school that day, you don't exist,
you aren't a real person, because to them, it's unfathomable
(22:38):
that anyone could believe that, oh, maybe we shouldn't have
these military great assault rifles on our streets in the
hands of nineteen year olds. Well, Okay, why do you
think they're so scared. I'm just because the power of
young people and they know the power of a young
person voting. I'm just so curious, Like what about guns
in particular that mad people like, no, like I have
(23:02):
to have that. Besides, it's your second Amendment right because
you're not trying to take them away. What do you
think about it is so that hits so close at
home for them area, Oh, I think it's a false
sense of security personally. Like I'm from Texas. I live
in Texas born and raised, so like I've known about
(23:22):
guns since I was little. Um, I have family members
that own guns. I know a bunch of people that
go hunting, and I would say talking with them and
just asking them like not like hey, like why do
you just have because like the people that I know
don't just have one gun, they have at least five. So,
(23:44):
you know, it starts to get once you get people
with like, you know, multiples like three, four or five six,
You have to start asking them why do you feel
the need to have this many guns? Like there's a
difference between a pistol and a hunting rifle, you know,
Like there's A, there's a mass, there's a major difference,
and so when you start to see people pile up
(24:07):
these weapons of war, you have to start asking them
like why do you feel like you need it? And
if there's this false sense of security that it gives people,
and people feel like the more guns that they have,
the more secure that they are. And so I feel
like one of the main reasons outside of just removing
(24:27):
the n r A from it, well, why everyday people
that are such proponents of the Second Amendment and that
are so pro gun is they feel like by taking
away their guns, there's no way to to defend themselves
from anything. Even the Second Amendment had some limitations. It
wasn't like you could go get your own tank in
your backyard or nuclear matter. It was meant to doing
(24:50):
well organized militia. And I think that even over the years,
the way the gun lobby and you know, the n
RA is fun it has made it sound like there's
there's no limitations on it, and that anybody wants to
have any sort of rational conversation around doing any sort
of rules in place, that they're immediately trying to take
away your rights, which is just not We're advocating for
and quite frankly, what the organization has done and what
(25:12):
David and Are Healed others have done is created real
spaces where we can talk about all the different types
of cultures they are facing gun violence and every day,
every day gun violence versus mass shooting and being rooms
with convention spaces and like it's a dialogue and policy
like they've they's entered every room at this point, isn't
it like over a hundred Americans die every day from
(25:33):
gun violence? That is so just not okay. And my
next question is for you, David UM. So I know
you did some debate back in the day, UM, and
you are very good at getting your point across very well.
So I'm curious, I what is the best way to
(25:53):
get your point across UM in a debate and just
in general because that has paid off for you. It's
a special balance between facts and stories as as well,
because you know, you can say that forty thousand Americans
die annually from gun violence. UM. But you know, unless
unless every if you're not telling the story of one
(26:14):
person and you're trying to tell the story of forty tho,
you're ultimately going to fail at telling the story. Um.
And you have to make each one of these people
human to make people realize that, you know, it's not
just a number. Um. I always say that these people
are not just numbers, they're human beings. Um. People forget
that because people get lost in statistics exactly. And that's
the tough thing is, Like you can try to argue
(26:35):
about this in numbers, but so often people just forget
the humanity behind this. And I can tell you if
anyone knew, you know, the people that are lost every
day to gun violence. Um, and just you know how
much our country loses in terms of potential and young
people and how many best friends and sisters and brothers.
(26:55):
And it's ridiculous and so unnecessary. Yeah, it's it comes
down to the simple question of, you know, is it
really worth it to have completely unregulated, like practically unregulated
access to these weapons of mass destruction for the death
of all these people? You know, Let's think about not
only how many people are born today, but how many
(27:18):
people will be born or won't be born twenty years
from now that could have been the next person to
cure cancer, That could have been the next person to
you know, be the first person on Mars that could
have been the next person to get like leave the
solar system or whatnot, or like had a grandchild that
did that. But that's never going to happen because that
person died as a result of gun violence. People forget
(27:39):
that we're people, especially on social media, and then you
put them on this pedestal as if they're not a
human that they don't believe that they don't cry. Um,
do you think if you if just hypothetically, if everyone
that gave you those death threats and were so just
came up with those conspiracy, if they like talk to
(27:59):
face to face and knew you as a person, do
you think that would have changed what they did? Yeah,
you know, I don't know about all of them, but
I would I would probably say based off the interactions
that I've had with people that literally, for example in Texas,
we're um, you know, at multiple events shotting my name,
wanting to literally like saying they wanted to shoot and
kill us basically and going out and talking to them. Um,
(28:22):
these people don't realize that we're human beings and we're
not we're not funded by you know, like we're not
pawns of you know, some political party, we're human beings
that don't want our friends to die. And it's that simple, guys,
I think, you know, it's often said that things are
not as simple as they seem, but in this case,
it really is that simple. We simply don't want our
(28:43):
friends to die from gun violence. And we we are
working for those that we've lost that we love and
those that we've lost as well, and we're fighting for
those that can't anymore themselves because the pain is too much.
And when we meet these people in person, and all
of a sudden they understand that, oh, like, you know,
we we may not agree on everything, but you're a
(29:04):
human being and you truly do care about this, it
makes it a lot easier. And that, honestly, that's one
of the reasons I really, as much as I love
what social media has enabled our movement to do and
pick up so much steam and momentum quickly, it's one
of the things I hate most about social media is
it's held to human it's so people. It's very hard
(29:26):
to storytell in a human way on social media. That
makes people realize that these are not just numbers. People
just don't realize that we're human beings and we're kids
that you know, our young people are college students that
simply don't want our friends to die anymore. And sadly,
in our current political climate, we've become so divided that
our elected officials can't even come together for something the
(29:47):
one thing they should be able to come together for,
which is the protection of the future of the United States,
which is us as children. That's why our power is
so important. So this campaign we're launching and a couple
of days of second anniversary, I mean, this is this
is what they've been building towards for two years. I mean,
I find it incredibly frustrated. Here we called David others actors.
I see a bunch of young people who are giving
(30:09):
all their free time to be super patriotic and use
their First Amendment right and speak out for others who
can't speak out for themselves. And so for our power
this year, I mean, I think people should be scared
and hopeful that there is an entire voting block of
young people who are paying attention to the news, who
are online and social media, who are you know, have
(30:31):
all the stats like Ariel and David are doing. Like
this is an activist generation, whether it's on gunball's prevention
or climate change. And I think this, this harnessing of
the youth power for so important because all of the
groundwork that they've laid, it's now time for elected officials
to act on this and actually do something about these
unnecessary deaths. I mean, this is a straight up public
(30:51):
health crisis. Even during coronavirus, people are buying UH lines
around the block, getting gun sat on guns. They us
back to Ariel's point of fear. I'm sure that people
feel like but fear of a virus, why does that
require guns to fear of anything? That's what are other humans?
What will happen? Um? Yeah, but we know statistically that
(31:13):
a gun is way more likely to be used on
your loved one or accidentally or using a suicide. I
mean it's really really troubling to hear the actual steps,
and I think our power will be highlighting so many
of these type of common things that we know now. UM,
really encouraging youth to get out there and vote and
get registered like that's so exciting, this is your first
(31:34):
time voting. I mean I hope that everyone does not
see this as a time where they're afraid to get
out there and we need to figure out ways we
can get people to go to the polls, whether it's
mail in ballots or figure out other ways people can
register to vote online and make it really simple for folks.
Let's not make it this difficult process. But this conversation
is extremely motivating to me. How can I get more
(31:56):
involved and how can my listeners also get involved if
they want to Twitter? Twitter scares me. Twitter is scary,
especially if you're not used to it, because it gets
kind of wild. It's like, you know, the zoo with
no zookeepers ever, all the animals are just running across.
(32:18):
You just don't want to really feel like you know.
Um but Twitter, Like David mentioned earlier, UM this movement,
and especially as we've seen within the past two years,
a lot of these youth led movements, whether it be
United We Dream, Sunrise, March for Our Lives, I'm Dream Defenders,
(32:39):
a lot of these youth led movements are born online,
particularly Twitter, because it's a place where you can voice
your reviews and you can connect with other people that
have the same views as you. I mean, you're obviously
a writer and a reporter, and too so using your
ability to storytell. I mean it's I think think about
(33:00):
organization is awesome. Is like we're talking about debate with David.
You know, Aria is like a lawyer, a future lawyer.
I mean, everyone kind of brings their skill set to
the table, and so maybe you're a great debater or talker,
maybe you're a great writer. We have a lot of
students organization who want to do art activism, So March
for Our Lives has really leaned into artivism. And so
I would say join the chapter side online so you've
(33:21):
got our updates. UM. We do a lot of offline
things UM. Obviously in the current state of play, we're
lucky that we do do some online things as well, well,
leaning into that, like on on the anniversary, were to
do several several hour our power Hub, people can hop
into and hear from guest speakers and have a music
section and try to great ways that people can get
(33:41):
trained online, talk to each other online, build that subse
to community online, get educated about gunbows prevention UM, and
then take their own actions, so registering to vote, getting
yourself out there to vote, running these actions ourselves, pushing
you know, educating your friends, texting five friends like oh
do you know that actually a hundred people die each
(34:03):
day by guns. Um So, I think there's so many
different ways people can do with a low ask to
a high ask. I just I know how busy you
all are first of all, so I just want to
thank you for taking the time. And I think it's
this conversation just just really inspiring and I think it
will to a lot of people. So just thank you
so much. Thank you for what you're doing. UM. And
(34:25):
just to wrap it up, my last question for you, UM, So,
in the future, when you guys are a parent, what
do you want to be able to say to your
kid that this happened and you're safe in school. I
want to be able to say that, um, when they're
reading their history books. About the reason why the planet
isn't underwater right now, um, and why kids are not
(34:50):
dying into schools and in their community is on a
daily basis, is because it's starting in young people took
the helm and took democracy into their own hands. And
this was a demod This was an election that could
have had two very different outcomes. One for a future
where nothing changes and a bund the world ends with
a few people with a lot of money, or a
(35:13):
world where everybody has a future, and other generations actually
exist because humanity doesn't go extinct. Because young people, UM
got really mad in twenty that we had adults that
didn't care about our future, that didn't believe science, that
didn't believe that we deserve the right to live in
(35:34):
the United States, and that other generations, that billions of
other humans don't deserve the right to live because this
land is not your land, it's future generations land, Um.
That we turned out and voted because we knew that
it wasn't just our lives that depend on it, but
it is billions of future human beings that are our
grandchildren and our future children that depended on this and
(35:56):
was the year that that changed. I'm really hope let's
put it out there, let's just manifest it. Well, thank
you guys so much for taking the time. It really
means so much. Thank you, Thank you guys for everything
out there, and thank you for this. Oh I'm excited.
(36:19):
It's gonna be great. It's gonna be great. Thank you
guys so much for listening to this episode. I hope
you liked it. I hope you learned a lot. I
know why I did. David Ariel Alexis, thank you so
much for coming on. It means so much. Make sure
you follow March for a Lies on all their socials
and text change to nine five four nine five four
(36:39):
to join the movement. Also follow David on Twitter at
David Hogg one one one, follow him on Instagram at
David Miles Hogg, follow Ariel at Ariel x Hobbs and
make sure you follow Alexis on Twitter at Alexis Conference
and don't forget to follow me on Instagram. Is at
it Sammy J. That's as as a y J and light.
(37:02):
No matter what your beliefs are, I think it's really
important that we educate ourselves on these issues, and if
you want to hear any other topics covered, make sure
you come slow. Thank you guys so much for listening
to you see the episode and I'll see you next week.
Good Bye
Hi guys, It's Sammy Jay and welcome to a very
special episode of als Bureau podcast. This is actually our
first virtual episode that we take UM due to the coronavirus,
and I hope all of you are safe and practicing
(00:20):
social distancing UM. This is a very personal and important
episode launching today. I am so honored to have three
members of the Mark for a Lives organization on my podcast.
Today is actually the two year anniversary of the Mark
for Our Lives demonstration that was one of the largest
protests in American history. I talked to student members David Hogg,
(00:43):
Aeriel Hawks and executive director Alexis Confert. We talk a
lot about your plans for what the misconceptions are about
gun controlled, what it's like running and creating of movement,
well being college, and so much more. I really hope
you guys enjoyed this episode and I cannot wait for
people crazy times we're living in with the coronavirus. How
(01:06):
is everybody doing it? Sucks? It's gonna be honest. Besides
the fact that you're now on online school, you are
super busy because March is the two year anniversary of
the March for a Lives demonstration which just took the
country by storm. First of all, it is crazy that
(01:26):
it has been two years, and in honor of the
two year anniversary, I know that you're launching your new campaign,
Our Power, just to start. What's the goal of this campaign?
The main goal is to get young people engaged and
out to like more legist later site. To be quite
fran quick, you care about us in the first place,
because UM, I think we can all realize that young
(01:47):
people are a sect of society sadly that aren't really
cared about in today's political environment. UM, even though I
would argue that we're the ones that should be cared about, UM,
just as much as anybody else, if not even more
than ever it else, because we're the future of the country, UM.
And I would argue that we're probably the most valuable,
the most important asset for our country to protect, because
(02:08):
we are the future of the United States. What is
it like trying to launch a campaign in the midst
of the coronavirus and having to do everything remotely. UM.
It hasn't been easy, that's for sure, and we've had
to figure out how to lay on some of our
other pillars of organizing. I guess you could say, um,
within the activism environment, luckily through different social media platforms
(02:31):
and being a movement that was really born on social media,
I would stay in the first place. Uh. It's been
somewhat of a tough transition, but not nearly as tough
as I think many other organizations are having to go
through right now, and luckily as young people were really
adapted being on social media, UM and scaring uh politicians
and creating some good trouble on there through Twitter. You're
(02:53):
very good at that, by the way. Oh, thank you.
I appreciate it. Yeah. I I just try my best
to spell it correctly most the time, which is difficult enough.
But yeah, I struggle with that all the time. Yeah.
Twitter really needs an editing feature. Maybe that can be
the next thing to implement. Yeah, exactly, that's what I think.
I know, you guys are also implementing a new piece plan.
(03:15):
How did this plan come about? Um? So the plan
really came about the idea of where it really came about,
I would say, um, at the beginning of last fall. Um,
when uh, you know it was it had been a
year after the midterms and we're really thinking, you know,
how do we come up with a comprehensive thing for
young people to stand behind as a way of reducing
(03:38):
gun violence and having a pretty major impact because you know, um,
it feels like a lot of the time that Congress
to an extent, just as this legislation piece by piece,
and we don't want this to be one lot at
a time. We want we want this to be a
set of policies within one much larger law to be
implemented because we know that, you know, there isn't any
(04:00):
one law specifically that's going to be able to stop
all gun violence. It's going to have to be a
comprehensive set of those laws. Um. And we wanted to
put that together so that we could say instead of saying,
you know, we support universal background checks and um, you know,
disarming domestic users and individuals like that. Uh, we just
support this broad policy platform known as the Peace Plan
(04:23):
for you to implement as a comprehensive plan to address
gun violence and set on an audacious goal of cutting
gun violence and half over the next ten years, which
would be about two lives. That's insane. Yeah, what was
it like creating a plan like that? Um, it was
pretty Uh, it was a challenge for sure, because UM things,
(04:44):
there's a lot of weight and there's a lot of
responsibility that you take on UM as an organization when
doing that and setting out this because you know, UM,
it's easy to see on the TV and just look
at the it's easier to look at what happens after
these instances of gun violence and just see a number,
as oftentimes we do, of just the number of people
(05:05):
have died from gun violence or have died in a
same mass shooting or just shooting. UM. What I would
argue is actually much harder, though, is to is for
a lot of people to remember that these aren't numbers,
these are human beings in the first place. And there's
a lot of responsibility UM that comes with that, and
there's a lot of weight, UM, and a lot of
thinking that we had to put into it. UM. So
(05:25):
the process really just looked like talking to a bunch
of researchers because I myself, as you know, a college freshman, UM,
all right, I am not very qualified to write that myself. UM.
So we talked to a bunch of researchers around the
country and basically ask, you know, what are the best policies, UM,
if implemented today, regardless of the political climate, could there
(05:46):
be not only reduce mass shootings, but everyday gun violence,
unintentional shootings and gun suicides as well. Um, because we
know that this isn't just an issue that affects that
that is about mass shootings already one type of shooting.
It's about anybody that dies as a result of a gunshot. Um.
And Yeah, we talked to those researchers, asked them, and
(06:08):
then brought the policy and announced it something that people
could really get behind and be like, you know, you know,
ex congressman, like you want to know what we support,
just look up the Peace Plan. It's right here. Like
these policies, it's it's honestly not that hard to understand.
This does not have to be an issue. And literally
every other country or every other more developed country besides
(06:29):
from the United States, has figured out how to do this,
and you can too. I think it's so wonderful how
far this movement has come in the past two years.
What is it like creating a piece of legislation and
talking to politicians and really, in my opinion, helping to
change history. Also, how can people of any age get
involved to help? Yeah, I think a lot of it. Um.
(06:54):
It's a big learning curve, that's for sure. It's been
a big it's been a big experience. But I say
what I've learned the most it is just honestly, um,
you know, going out there initially instilled. To this point,
it's just a bunch of piste off teenagers um, and
college students, which I would argue are some of the
best people his Berkeley speaking getting ship done in politics. UM. Uh.
(07:18):
You know, it's great because you're able to just say,
you know, like you know, this is wrong, everything is wrong,
you're doing all of this wrong. Um. But it's also
scary because you realize, to be frank, how many how
many I would say, elected officials sadly just do not
realize the weight of the responsibility that they have. And
it's kind of ironic because we always say, we always
(07:38):
see a bunch of stuff, or we always hear from
older people, politicians included, you don't know what you're talking about,
your irresponsible, you know, you're a teenager and stuff like that.
And what I've come to realize is actually it's quite
the opposite. A lot of the time. It's especially when
it comes to elected officials. A lot of the time,
it's piste off teenagers and college students that care significantly
(07:59):
more than they do about the actual effects of their
legislation in the first place. UM. And it's only invigorated
me more to want to get more young people into
politics and get politically involved. UM. And I would say
for anybody that wants to get involved, to get started,
you can just go to Mars foral Lives dot com
um and either join a local chapter or sign up
(08:20):
for any of the silet ter um or set up
your own chapter. So this question is for Ariel and David, Um,
what is it like balancing everything just being in college?
And I'll let I'll let the college senior take this one. Earl. Yeah,
(08:40):
Like David mentioned, I'm a college senior, so I got
I don't want to really say like the benefit, but
I had the experience of being in college before the
shooting happened, so I had already worked out, like, and
I work while I'm at school, So I had already
worked out the balance of like doing like managing school
(09:03):
life and then also managing whatever else I wanted to do.
So I kind of had that benefit definitely being a
board member and being involved with an organization like March
of Our Lives is like an added number of UM hours.
It's a it's a lot more work. But um, since
this is a student led organization, we are all very
(09:25):
understanding with each other and like understand that, like we
can't do everything, and that we can't be everywhere, and
sometimes you know, like the best we can do with
stand OUTO tweet or repost something on Instagram or something
like that, and that you know, our work for the day.
But um, it also gets kind of hard. And I
(09:45):
know there's something I experienced the last semester, not committing
myself to everything, alexis what's that like? Because I know
you've worked for a bunch of other people before, So
how has that been, um creating this whole plan since
last ball, Well, I will say entering into the space
(10:07):
where there is such commitment from the young people who
have founded it. I mean, it's an amazing question you
asked them about how they're balancing their time, because every
single time I've talked to David or Ariel and like, Okay,
what are you doing for fun this week? It's just
for you for your mental health. It's not school, it's
not March for our lives because you know, I wanted
to be in the space where I just saw such
(10:27):
incredibly dedicated young people. You know, I've been an activist
since I was in college, and see, um, the ideas
excited me. Like walking into a room where there were
already so many ideas, so much passion behind it, and
thousands of students who are ready to go, you know,
run right into it and take this on. Gives you
a lot of energy to do any sort of planning.
(10:48):
And so you know, my goal and the team's goal
is how can we harness their energy, really clear the
lanes for them so that when we are calling David
or Ariel somebody else and quite franklies constant dialogue. And
when we are we are like a family. We are
very involved with our student board members, which David and
Ariel both are, our student Congress, which is over twenty
(11:09):
young people from across the country somewhere in schools and
we're not in school, um, but they're all elected by
their peers, and the really an advisory board to me
and the team to keep us accountable. Um yeah, I
mean making history is not easy, just to say the
police and do you guys enjoy college do you guys
go to parties? Do you guys do that or is
it just close friends? And what's the balance within that.
(11:32):
I mean, it's it's for me, it's pretty cold in Boston,
so I don't like going outside very much. UM. But
for me a lot of the time, it just comes
down to building a routine around your activism UM and
not letting your activism become your life, which is extremely
difficult when you care so much about something UM and
(11:53):
what our main focus here really and I think part
of what Mixes Special as an organization specifically built is
a place for were and buy young people UM, which
I know we've had to Uh, we've had to work
through a lot because obviously having a budget called students
work full time isn't the most sustainable things. So what
we try to do is like after kids come out
of college, UM, like immediately after they come out of college,
(12:17):
trying to hire them to work on our field team
UM or when they're in college as with our our
regional directors, hiring them as part time as part time
staff that are working about twenty hours a week managing
several hundred chapters across the country as college students UM.
So that we try to avoid those all nighters. Um.
(12:37):
But yeah, it's a it's a very it's been, I
will say the hardest. One of the hardest things about
this job, aside from everything in the job specifically, is
learning how to gain a work life balance. So one
of the things that I've always been curious about is
how did you guys come up with any march for
our lives? Honestly, to be frank with you, I don't
(12:59):
even really remember because I was doing so much pressed
at that time. That wasn't my role. Um when we
started doing that, I think it was just more than anything, like, um, well,
we're doing a march, and you know it's around kids
not dying in like schools and in their communities or
in their homes. Um. Like, I honestly don't really even know,
(13:21):
because like one, even if I was in the room,
I like, I don't even remember, just like it's just
a blur because we're sleeping when we're doing the march
and everything we're sleeping, I would say, an average at
most of five hours to four hours a night, and
traveling every single day to a different state and things
like that for a month straight or a month and
a half straight. Uh, and your memory is just completely
(13:43):
done when when that happens, which is where we're trying
to avoid. Yeah, and I can't imagine what it's like
to go through this traumatizing event and then you're recounting
it the next day, two people impressed, and you're doing
that over and over. At this point when people ask
you about it, is it like, does it still feel
(14:05):
like you're there when you talk about it, or just
does it feel like a distant story you tell? UM?
It honestly just kind of to me, it feels a
lot like UM at the time, like I was obviously there,
but I really saw myself almost in the role of
a student journalist or almost like some kind of correspondent
(14:25):
or something. Um, not knowing if, like you know, the kids,
if me and my classmates were going to die at
that time. UM. So it's obviously triggering to an extent.
And I don't like to focus on it too much either,
because it's there's so many other stories to tell around
gun violence, you know, I'm just one of them, and
you get asked about it all the time still and
(14:46):
it's two years later. What is that? What is that
toold that takes on you mentally, it's pretty significant, and
I really try to balance it by focusing not letting
my like trauma, um my innovate me in that way,
but really try to have have hope for a better
future where those things never have have to happen again,
(15:07):
and a just future where no child has to live
in fear of gun violence in their school or in
their community. Because we live in a in a country
with a government that prioritizes equitable justice, which is what
I would define his freedom, um, to communities that have
been so disproportionately affected by purposeful historical injustices, be it
political injustice that results in school shootings, racial or economic
(15:30):
injustice that results in everyday shootings and gun suicides and
all these other different factors or forms of gun violence. UM.
But I really try to focus on, you know, the
future and having keeping that hope and positivity as hard
as hard as it is to find in this alive
because um to be frank like, if it was if
(15:52):
it was negativity or you know, hopelessness that ended, these
things are just sadness that would ended gun violence. Gun
violence had ended a long time ago, um, but sadly
we're still here and we still have a mission to
do because kun violence still exists, but it does take
a toll, and I think a large part of it
two comes down to checking room with yourself and having
people around you that allow you to step back and
(16:13):
know that you're okay. Um yeah, not so that you
don't feel like everything is on you constantly. And also
therapy is great. I love anything. Yeah. Going to school,
I've just experienced anxiety, especially since Parkland, just because you
everyone says it's not going to be your school, and
(16:33):
then that's what happens. How do you get through? And
what advice do you have for people who are in
college or high school just that are anxious during the
day because they hear something that frightens them. Really, there
is no way to respond to that because it's like,
you know, I think about it almost like our parents
or our parents parents in some cases, you know, going
(16:53):
through you know, nuclear drills at school where it's like,
oh God, that's prepared for this thing that shouldn't be opening,
and there's basically no way to survive. But because our
government can't figure out a way to stop it, um,
now we have to face the consequence. And like you
couldn't really go back to that time and just be like, yeah,
duck and cover, You'll be fine. There's just like a
nuclear blast coming your way. UM. But what does give
(17:17):
me hope is that that anxiety that people felt in
that time period is part of what fueled the anti
nuclear effort, and you know, throughout the seventies and eighties, UM,
that helped create you know, pretty major unilateral treaties between
the United States and the Soviet Union for arms reduction
and created a much safer future and in reducing the
(17:38):
likelihood of a nuclear war ever happening. And I think
sadly that that's probably going to be what's happening here
with gun laws in the future is all you know,
we're raising our politicians because of their inaction UM or
their ownership, I guess you could say of by organizations
like the n r A are creating a generation of
traumatized children, not just in schools but in their communities
(17:59):
to where you know, kids have to oftentimes, you know,
for for decades or hundreds of years, have had to
walk home or run home for if you're being shot
on a daily basis outside of their schools too, and
they never get talked about UM and we have to
create an interjust intergenerational coalition of youth from every community
where we know that if we aren't, if we're just
(18:19):
talking shootings and schools, but there's still it's still just
as like the shootings happen outside of someone's school or
a gun suicide is still just as likely. We still
have a major problem here. We can't leave people behind.
Do you think lockdown drills are effective? Because that's something
I've been curious about, because you have been in an
actual shooting, how can we change those situations to where
(18:40):
it can actually save lives? I would say lockdown drills
are probably just about as effective as nuclear bomb drills
when they are nuclear drills, like because I we don't
know well, I mean they basically said, hey, you're all
gonna die, just duck and cover and you'll be fine.
Of course you wouldn't be because like there's like two
(19:01):
winds or whatever that comes through at that time. It's
like they're trying to put a band aid on this
like massive wound where you're bleeding out, and it's just
like are you going to put a band aid on it?
Or you're gonna actually get in there and like get
some stitches on it to stop the bleeding, right, And
with that stitches in this metaphor, I guess you could
say is preemptive legislation that stops these things from ever happening.
So no, I don't think, but I don't think lockdown
(19:22):
drills are effective in any way, shape or form. And
if anything, they just traumatize us more. What are misconceptions
that people have about March for Lives and what you
guys want Because you're not trying to take away guns.
I think people forget that. That's the biggest one I
would say would be there, Yeah, where'd you trying to
(19:44):
take away their guns? Like UM on the World to
Change tour, And this is something David could speak to UM.
Outside of all of our events that we will go to,
we would have counter protesters showing up there with their
A R fifteens and they're like, actually bring them. Yeah
that's terrifying. Yeah, Like I know for sure they brought
(20:06):
them in Nevada and in Texas, but it's Nevada and Texas. Um, um,
yeah they would bring and if it wasn't like their
A R fifteens, they were like if their state had
concealed carry, they would carry um. And so one thing
like that was probably like the main thing that I
(20:27):
at least remember getting told. They're like, well, you're trying
to take away my guns, and I'm like, no, I'm not.
I'm just trying to make it harder for people that
should not have guns to get them, and then make
sure that we that the people that do have guns,
that we're going through the proper and necessary and comprehensive
steps to make sure that you are fit to own
(20:47):
that gun, and that when you do have that gun,
that you're using it in a responsible way to where
you're not putting yourself are other people into danger. And
so that's probably the biggest misconception in I would say.
Another one is that we have some type of like
ulterior motive, Like the conspiracies, oh god, oh yeah. People
(21:09):
think David's like some FBI informant, waits the craziest inspiracy
that you've heard. I can't even again to tell you,
um okay um. Probably one saying that I'm a twenty
like eight year old from California that was in prison. Um.
(21:33):
Another one saying I work for the FBI. UM, And
another one saying that there's a really big one that
that says that I wasn't at school that day, which
is completely false. Didn't you film it? Yeah, I was
at school, but they they edited the videos to make
it seem like I wasn't at school, because there's a
(21:54):
massive misinformation campaign against the survivors of gun violence. Because
what they say is if if you don't survive an
instance of gun violence and you're advocating for gun control,
what they'll tell you is, you can't be doing this
because like, you don't know what it's like to be
affected by gun violence. So what do they say to
the people that are affected by gun violence. They have
to discredit them in any way possible. So what many
(22:16):
organizations like the n r A and others have done
is pedal false conspiracy theories that literally bring us thousands
of death threats and also are completely false and misinformation
campaigns against us to try to discredit us as survivors
and say you weren't at school that day, you don't exist,
you aren't a real person, because to them, it's unfathomable
(22:38):
that anyone could believe that, oh, maybe we shouldn't have
these military great assault rifles on our streets in the
hands of nineteen year olds. Well, Okay, why do you
think they're so scared. I'm just because the power of
young people and they know the power of a young
person voting. I'm just so curious, Like what about guns
in particular that mad people like, no, like I have
(23:02):
to have that. Besides, it's your second Amendment right because
you're not trying to take them away. What do you
think about it is so that hits so close at
home for them area, Oh, I think it's a false
sense of security personally. Like I'm from Texas. I live
in Texas born and raised, so like I've known about
(23:22):
guns since I was little. Um, I have family members
that own guns. I know a bunch of people that
go hunting, and I would say talking with them and
just asking them like not like hey, like why do
you just have because like the people that I know
don't just have one gun, they have at least five. So,
(23:44):
you know, it starts to get once you get people
with like, you know, multiples like three, four or five six,
You have to start asking them why do you feel
the need to have this many guns? Like there's a
difference between a pistol and a hunting rifle, you know,
Like there's A, there's a mass, there's a major difference,
and so when you start to see people pile up
(24:07):
these weapons of war, you have to start asking them
like why do you feel like you need it? And
if there's this false sense of security that it gives people,
and people feel like the more guns that they have,
the more secure that they are. And so I feel
like one of the main reasons outside of just removing
(24:27):
the n r A from it, well, why everyday people
that are such proponents of the Second Amendment and that
are so pro gun is they feel like by taking
away their guns, there's no way to to defend themselves
from anything. Even the Second Amendment had some limitations. It
wasn't like you could go get your own tank in
your backyard or nuclear matter. It was meant to doing
(24:50):
well organized militia. And I think that even over the years,
the way the gun lobby and you know, the n
RA is fun it has made it sound like there's
there's no limitations on it, and that anybody wants to
have any sort of rational conversation around doing any sort
of rules in place, that they're immediately trying to take
away your rights, which is just not We're advocating for
and quite frankly, what the organization has done and what
(25:12):
David and Are Healed others have done is created real
spaces where we can talk about all the different types
of cultures they are facing gun violence and every day,
every day gun violence versus mass shooting and being rooms
with convention spaces and like it's a dialogue and policy
like they've they's entered every room at this point, isn't
it like over a hundred Americans die every day from
(25:33):
gun violence? That is so just not okay. And my
next question is for you, David UM. So I know
you did some debate back in the day, UM, and
you are very good at getting your point across very well.
So I'm curious, I what is the best way to
(25:53):
get your point across UM in a debate and just
in general because that has paid off for you. It's
a special balance between facts and stories as as well,
because you know, you can say that forty thousand Americans
die annually from gun violence. UM. But you know, unless
unless every if you're not telling the story of one
(26:14):
person and you're trying to tell the story of forty tho,
you're ultimately going to fail at telling the story. Um.
And you have to make each one of these people
human to make people realize that, you know, it's not
just a number. Um. I always say that these people
are not just numbers, they're human beings. Um. People forget
that because people get lost in statistics exactly. And that's
the tough thing is, Like you can try to argue
(26:35):
about this in numbers, but so often people just forget
the humanity behind this. And I can tell you if
anyone knew, you know, the people that are lost every
day to gun violence. Um, and just you know how
much our country loses in terms of potential and young
people and how many best friends and sisters and brothers.
(26:55):
And it's ridiculous and so unnecessary. Yeah, it's it comes
down to the simple question of, you know, is it
really worth it to have completely unregulated, like practically unregulated
access to these weapons of mass destruction for the death
of all these people? You know, Let's think about not
only how many people are born today, but how many
(27:18):
people will be born or won't be born twenty years
from now that could have been the next person to
cure cancer, That could have been the next person to
you know, be the first person on Mars that could
have been the next person to get like leave the
solar system or whatnot, or like had a grandchild that
did that. But that's never going to happen because that
person died as a result of gun violence. People forget
(27:39):
that we're people, especially on social media, and then you
put them on this pedestal as if they're not a
human that they don't believe that they don't cry. Um,
do you think if you if just hypothetically, if everyone
that gave you those death threats and were so just
came up with those conspiracy, if they like talk to
(27:59):
face to face and knew you as a person, do
you think that would have changed what they did? Yeah,
you know, I don't know about all of them, but
I would I would probably say based off the interactions
that I've had with people that literally, for example in Texas,
we're um, you know, at multiple events shotting my name,
wanting to literally like saying they wanted to shoot and
kill us basically and going out and talking to them. Um,
(28:22):
these people don't realize that we're human beings and we're
not we're not funded by you know, like we're not
pawns of you know, some political party, we're human beings
that don't want our friends to die. And it's that simple, guys,
I think, you know, it's often said that things are
not as simple as they seem, but in this case,
it really is that simple. We simply don't want our
(28:43):
friends to die from gun violence. And we we are
working for those that we've lost that we love and
those that we've lost as well, and we're fighting for
those that can't anymore themselves because the pain is too much.
And when we meet these people in person, and all
of a sudden they understand that, oh, like, you know,
we we may not agree on everything, but you're a
(29:04):
human being and you truly do care about this, it
makes it a lot easier. And that, honestly, that's one
of the reasons I really, as much as I love
what social media has enabled our movement to do and
pick up so much steam and momentum quickly, it's one
of the things I hate most about social media is
it's held to human it's so people. It's very hard
(29:26):
to storytell in a human way on social media. That
makes people realize that these are not just numbers. People
just don't realize that we're human beings and we're kids
that you know, our young people are college students that
simply don't want our friends to die anymore. And sadly,
in our current political climate, we've become so divided that
our elected officials can't even come together for something the
(29:47):
one thing they should be able to come together for,
which is the protection of the future of the United States,
which is us as children. That's why our power is
so important. So this campaign we're launching and a couple
of days of second anniversary, I mean, this is this
is what they've been building towards for two years. I mean,
I find it incredibly frustrated. Here we called David others actors.
I see a bunch of young people who are giving
(30:09):
all their free time to be super patriotic and use
their First Amendment right and speak out for others who
can't speak out for themselves. And so for our power
this year, I mean, I think people should be scared
and hopeful that there is an entire voting block of
young people who are paying attention to the news, who
are online and social media, who are you know, have
(30:31):
all the stats like Ariel and David are doing. Like
this is an activist generation, whether it's on gunball's prevention
or climate change. And I think this, this harnessing of
the youth power for so important because all of the
groundwork that they've laid, it's now time for elected officials
to act on this and actually do something about these
unnecessary deaths. I mean, this is a straight up public
(30:51):
health crisis. Even during coronavirus, people are buying UH lines
around the block, getting gun sat on guns. They us
back to Ariel's point of fear. I'm sure that people
feel like but fear of a virus, why does that
require guns to fear of anything? That's what are other humans?
What will happen? Um? Yeah, but we know statistically that
(31:13):
a gun is way more likely to be used on
your loved one or accidentally or using a suicide. I
mean it's really really troubling to hear the actual steps,
and I think our power will be highlighting so many
of these type of common things that we know now. UM,
really encouraging youth to get out there and vote and
get registered like that's so exciting, this is your first
(31:34):
time voting. I mean I hope that everyone does not
see this as a time where they're afraid to get
out there and we need to figure out ways we
can get people to go to the polls, whether it's
mail in ballots or figure out other ways people can
register to vote online and make it really simple for folks.
Let's not make it this difficult process. But this conversation
is extremely motivating to me. How can I get more
(31:56):
involved and how can my listeners also get involved if
they want to Twitter? Twitter scares me. Twitter is scary,
especially if you're not used to it, because it gets
kind of wild. It's like, you know, the zoo with
no zookeepers ever, all the animals are just running across.
(32:18):
You just don't want to really feel like you know.
Um but Twitter, Like David mentioned earlier, UM this movement,
and especially as we've seen within the past two years,
a lot of these youth led movements, whether it be
United We Dream, Sunrise, March for Our Lives, I'm Dream Defenders,
(32:39):
a lot of these youth led movements are born online,
particularly Twitter, because it's a place where you can voice
your reviews and you can connect with other people that
have the same views as you. I mean, you're obviously
a writer and a reporter, and too so using your
ability to storytell. I mean it's I think think about
(33:00):
organization is awesome. Is like we're talking about debate with David.
You know, Aria is like a lawyer, a future lawyer.
I mean, everyone kind of brings their skill set to
the table, and so maybe you're a great debater or talker,
maybe you're a great writer. We have a lot of
students organization who want to do art activism, So March
for Our Lives has really leaned into artivism. And so
I would say join the chapter side online so you've
(33:21):
got our updates. UM. We do a lot of offline
things UM. Obviously in the current state of play, we're
lucky that we do do some online things as well, well,
leaning into that, like on on the anniversary, were to
do several several hour our power Hub, people can hop
into and hear from guest speakers and have a music
section and try to great ways that people can get
(33:41):
trained online, talk to each other online, build that subse
to community online, get educated about gunbows prevention UM, and
then take their own actions, so registering to vote, getting
yourself out there to vote, running these actions ourselves, pushing
you know, educating your friends, texting five friends like oh
do you know that actually a hundred people die each
(34:03):
day by guns. Um So, I think there's so many
different ways people can do with a low ask to
a high ask. I just I know how busy you
all are first of all, so I just want to
thank you for taking the time. And I think it's
this conversation just just really inspiring and I think it
will to a lot of people. So just thank you
so much. Thank you for what you're doing. UM. And
(34:25):
just to wrap it up, my last question for you, UM, So,
in the future, when you guys are a parent, what
do you want to be able to say to your
kid that this happened and you're safe in school. I
want to be able to say that, um, when they're
reading their history books. About the reason why the planet
isn't underwater right now, um, and why kids are not
(34:50):
dying into schools and in their community is on a
daily basis, is because it's starting in young people took
the helm and took democracy into their own hands. And
this was a demod This was an election that could
have had two very different outcomes. One for a future
where nothing changes and a bund the world ends with
a few people with a lot of money, or a
(35:13):
world where everybody has a future, and other generations actually
exist because humanity doesn't go extinct. Because young people, UM
got really mad in twenty that we had adults that
didn't care about our future, that didn't believe science, that
didn't believe that we deserve the right to live in
(35:34):
the United States, and that other generations, that billions of
other humans don't deserve the right to live because this
land is not your land, it's future generations land, Um.
That we turned out and voted because we knew that
it wasn't just our lives that depend on it, but
it is billions of future human beings that are our
grandchildren and our future children that depended on this and
(35:56):
was the year that that changed. I'm really hope let's
put it out there, let's just manifest it. Well, thank
you guys so much for taking the time. It really
means so much. Thank you, Thank you guys for everything
out there, and thank you for this. Oh I'm excited.
(36:19):
It's gonna be great. It's gonna be great. Thank you
guys so much for listening to this episode. I hope
you liked it. I hope you learned a lot. I
know why I did. David Ariel Alexis, thank you so
much for coming on. It means so much. Make sure
you follow March for a Lies on all their socials
and text change to nine five four nine five four
(36:39):
to join the movement. Also follow David on Twitter at
David Hogg one one one, follow him on Instagram at
David Miles Hogg, follow Ariel at Ariel x Hobbs and
make sure you follow Alexis on Twitter at Alexis Conference
and don't forget to follow me on Instagram. Is at
it Sammy J. That's as as a y J and light.
(37:02):
No matter what your beliefs are, I think it's really
important that we educate ourselves on these issues, and if
you want to hear any other topics covered, make sure
you come slow. Thank you guys so much for listening
to you see the episode and I'll see you next week.
Good Bye
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