Activists hold rally for gun control in Sarasota this weekend

Activist Madi Markham is hosting a rally on Sunday to get the attention of lawmakers on the polarizing issue of gun legislation.

Markham was in high school when the shooting at Parkland occurred a little too close to home, now she’s an advocate for gun control in Florida.

The former Sarasota high school student turned activist began speaking out on gun control after feeling personally affected by the tragedy experienced by her peers in South Florida at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.

Unfortunately, there’s been little reprieve this month for people, like Markham, involved with communities still reeling from local shootings. August brought gun violence into the national spotlight again when mass shootings occurred in Ohio and Texas.

There have been 268 mass shootings in the United States in 2019, alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization geared at tracking and documenting gun violence in America.

In the wake of these tragedies, Markham says she takes comfort in “small wins” and refers to Florida’s recently instituted “red flag law” as one of those.

To build momentum for the slow-moving anti-gun violence movement, Markham and others are holding a rally downtown on Sunday that will draw attention to the issue of gun control. Sponsoring the event are Sarasota chapters of Team Enough and Brady.

Markham, now an adult and freshman at Sarasota’s New College of Florida, believes this type of advocacy is key to getting the attention from elected officials on issues concerning gun control.

“Something I definitely learned … is that your legislators don’t think you care if you don’t tell them you care,” said Markham to The Herald-Tribune.

If you care about gun control too and want to make your voice heard, you can join her at Sunday’s rally in Sarasota. The event will be held at Five Points Park, Sunday, Aug 25, at 6:30 p.m.