SOUTH BRUNSWICK – People from more houses should say, “No guns allowed.” We need stricter gun laws. We shouldn’t have to be worried about guns. Change the age for guns. Books at school, not guns at school. Everyone should have a chance to be safe. Don’t be scared of guns in your district.
Those were the words when child after child stood up and expressed his/her thoughts on gun safety during the March for Lives in South Brunswick on March 10, organized by a group of parents who are concerned about the well-being of their children as well as the entire community.
Approximately 400 residents packed the courtroom and lobby of the South Brunswick Municipal Building, awaiting the walk to Crossroads Middle School South, Crossroads Middle School North and back to the municipal building to physically touch the grounds where students learn, according to Satya Aluru, a township resident who helped organize the march.
“No father, no mother, no brother, sister, cousins, no aunt, no uncle should stand where thousands of people are standing,” Aluru said, noting that 15,596 lives were lost to gun violence in 2017, 15,092 lives were lost in 2016, and already 2,676 lives were lost in 2018.
“Our South Brunswick family will not be reactive. We have to be proactive. It is a nightmare to think people lost somebody to a bullet … a bullet, when somebody else has let it go is not the way I want to go or anybody in my township go.”
However, she noted the silent march was to protect residents’ safety, not ban the constitutional right of owning firearms.
“We all buy guns for different reasons – we are not here to blame. We are here to say, ‘This is my home and I’m going to secure it,'” she said. “We strongly believe that every individual’s strength begins from their home.”
Lisa Rodgers said she is a responsible gun owner and encourages others to be as well.
“Nobody wants to take people’s rights away to own guns,” she said, “but your right to own a firearm does not override my right or my family’s right to remain safe. … Our country must come together to find a solution to protect all of its citizens without infringing on the rights of others.”
She said the country needs to evaluate the age to purchase a gun, the banning of bump stocks, the licensing of dealers, liability insurance for gun owners, a limit to the number of guns one person can purchase, an enhanced criminal background check system, the prohibition of domestic violence offenders and those on a watch list or no-fly list from ownership, and increased mental health awareness.
She also said there is no place in society for assault weapons, and that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 needs to be reinstated. She said shootings decreased by 37 percent and deaths decreased by 43 percent during the ban, while in the past two decades the increase in massacres has risen by 183 percent and massacre deaths have skyrocketed 239 percent.
She said “weapons of war” must be removed from the streets.
“You don’t assault an animal when you hunt,” she said.
Rodgers also said no teacher or administrator should be allowed to carry a firearm, which led to a rousing round of applause.
“We are all standing for Parkland, for Orlando, for Las Vegas, for Sutherland Springs, for Sandy Hook and all other victims of mass shootings,” she said.
The March for Lives was organized by residents Aluru, Aarti Gupta, Christine David Resnick, Lisa Grieco Rodgers, Anjan Aluru, Rujuta Chirputkar, Sonia Lal Banota, Sujata Nagpal Gandhi and Magesh Kamalakannan.
“We want to create awareness and focus on school safety,” Kamalakannan said. “I think we’re making some effectiveness on that and we want to reinforce that.”
The organizers thanked township officials and administrators, the Board of Education and Superintendent Scott Feder, and Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and his officers for their support of their mission, especially for guiding them on the proper procedures for their march.
“We appreciate partnerships like this with our community. It’s our greatest strength,” Police Captain James Kinard said. “We thank you for the opportunity to be with you today, and we hope your voices are as heard as you need them to be.”
Township attorney Don Sears added, “We want to encourage you. Don’t stop here today. This should be the beginning of activism from the youngest one here, who is six, to the oldest ones here. … There are many different opinions with lots of different perspectives … working together to reach one common goal of safety and security.”
Aluru encouraged other residents to join their plight.
“The responsiblity is mine, it is yours, it is everybody’s,” she said. “This is the place you sleep in at night, with your hands on your chest, saying, ‘Keep me safe.’ Let’s secure this town today.”
For more information, visit March for Lives in South Brunswick on Facebook.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@newspapermediagroup.com.
