'Enough Blood In Our Classrooms:' NJ Students Demand Gun Reforms

TOMS RIVER, NJ -- As students in Florida continue to speak out and demand action from legislators to reform gun laws in the wake of last week's mass shooting that killed 17 of their classmates and teachers, students in other parts of the country are adding their voices to the chorus calling for tighter laws.

That includes New Jersey, where a group of students from schools in the Toms River area organized a rally on the steps of the Ocean County Library on Sunday to urge local congressional representatives to put in place laws that would prevent someone with mental health issues from owning firearms, and putting limits on weapons such as the AR-15.

"I talked to David Hogg, one of the students in Parkland and I said what can we do? He said organize. It has to be students and it has to be now," said Zach Dougherty, a junior from Toms River High School North who was the lead organizer of Monday's rally. Schools in many New Jersey towns were closed Monday for the Presidents Day federal holiday.

"We care what happened in Florida," Dougherty said, referring to the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 15 students and two staff members were killed. "We don't want to hear the same conversation that guns don't kill people, people kill people. It's not enough anymore. We don't want to hear it. It's time for action."

Dougherty, who was joined by about a dozen fellow students, said the goal is not to take firearms away form law-abiding citizens.

"No one up here is saying take away the Second Amendment or take away their guns," he said "What we're saying is why can't we be smart like other nations and end this senseless violence that's going on in our schools?"

"We shouldn't have to be up here demanding changes to the legislation," said Evelyn Nazario, a senior at Toms River North. "It's time for change. We want the right protection for our students, for our teachers and for everybody."

"Not one more teen, child or even adult should have to be killed in a mass shooting. We can't put this off any longer," said Andreas Psillos, 16.

The three said suggestions of putting more police officers in the schools won't make them feel more safe.

"We respect that they're there, but why does it have to come to that point?" Dougherty said.

He and Psillos said the AR-15 should be banned. Psillos noted the gun can fire 45 bullets per minute, a figure confirmed by the owner's manual of the Bushmaster AR-15. "That's 45 people who could be killed. In one minute," Psillos said.

"If you have a gun that can release that many bullets that fast, I don't care what you call it," Dougherty said. "It's killing students and it's killing kids and it has to stop."

In additi0n to the students, Theresa Turner, director of the Monmouth-Ocean chapter of Moms Demand Action, and congressional candidates Josh Welle and Jim Keady, who both are seeking the Democratic nomination in the 4th District to challenge Chris Smith, spoke.

Turner said the actions of the students in Florida have prompted Moms Demand Action to create Students Demand Action, to support the students who want to fight for more strict gun control laws.

The student group, which is open to teens 13 and older, will give teens a way to get involved and stay involved, even if they are too young to vote. "You can talk to your parents, and encourage them to vote for candidates who support common-sense legislation," she said.

"I didn't worry about how to protect my friends from an active shooter," Welle said to the students. "We've failed you. Congress failed you."

"It's time we adults step aside and amplify the voices of these students," Keady said. He said the restrictions repealed last year on gun ownership for those with mental illness and efforts to prevent those on the terror watch list from obtaining a firearm need to be put in place. Keady also advocated for 14-day waiting periods for purchases and universal background checks.

Turner specifically criticized Rep. Tom MacArthur, whose 3rd District includes Toms River, saying MacArthur's sponsorship of a bill to allow concealed carry reciprocity — meaning those who have received a concealed carry permit from another state would be allowed to carry that weapon in New Jersey, where concealed carry currently is tightly restricted — threatens the safety, because other states have less restrictive laws.

"You need to vote for candidates who care about keeping kids safe," Turner said.

On Tuesday, MacArthur's office released a statement from the congressman, who was at a meeting in Stafford Township at the same time as the rally. Camille Gallo, MacArthur's communications director, said he met with Mayor John Spodofora, Police Chief Tom Dellane, Capt. Herman Pharo, along with Meghan Corrigan, a licensed clinical social worker; Charlene Hoverter, a Barnegat resident who is a survivor engagement lead and fellow for Everytown for Gun Safety and a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; and Randy Campoli, a local business owner, avid hunter and NRA member to discuss the issue.

"I came away inspired that we can effectuate change if we come together, drop the rhetoric and name-calling, and stop participating in the politics of division," MacArthur said. "I vow to do my part to honor those whose lives have been stolen by gun violence and will continue to work with leaders in our community to make sure we are all doing what we can to keep our children safe."

The crowd of roughly 50 people on Monday included a number of teachers, Dougherty said, and also included Russell Corby, president of the Toms River Regional Board of Education.

"We adults spend a lot of time talking to our students and asking them to listen to us," Corby said. "Now our students are asking us to listen to them. I think we owe them that."

"I made that promise to David that we would organize here to make sure that what happened in Florida doesn't happen ever again," Dougherty said. "Congress is doing nothing. We need Congress to do something."

"Enough blood in our classrooms," he said.

Watch the rally below.

NOTE: This article has been updated with comments from Third District Rep. Tom MacArthur.

Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff