March for Our Lives, pro-gun rallies converge on downtown Saturday

Ashley White | Tallahassee Democrat

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch it: March for Our Lives protesters gather at the Capitol Thousands of March for Our Lives protesters rally at the Capitol on March 24.

Two starkly different rallies are taking place downtown Saturday. At the Capitol will be the "Big Pro Gun Rally." At Kleman Plaza will be a March for Our Lives rally, featuring students from Parkland High School.

The Big Pro Gun Rally will have 14 speakers, including Kaitlin Bennett, the woman whose graduation photos with an AR-10 on Kent State University's campus went viral, and Erin Palette, founder of the pro-gun LGBTQ training group Operation Blazing Sword. Musical performances will start at noon and speakers will start at 2 p.m. at the Capitol Courtyard.

Organizer and author of the Florida Firearms book Jon Gutmacher said he wanted to hold a rally before the primary election. He said rally supporters want to "change the momentum." Also at the Big Pro Gun Rally will be the group Utah Gun Exchange, which has been on a "Freedom Tour" following the March for Our Lives students to counter the gun control advocates.

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"The diversity of (our speakers) and the message is going to surprise a lot of people," said Gutmacher. "We want to show everybody that we have that diversity and we have that belief that we’re important as well."

The March for Our Lives students, who organized after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, have been touring the nation and the state speaking out against gun violence as part of a "Road to Change" bus tour. The tour's goal has been to get young people involved and empowered.

In Tallahassee, organizers intend register people to vote and oppose candidates backed by the National Rifle Association. The group is excited to be back at the capital, said Ryan Servaites, a rising sophomore at Stoneman Douglas.

"This is a direct sign to the representatives that we are going to vote them out if they don't represent us," he said.

After a closed roundtable discussion with local students and leaders, a rally will begin at 3 p.m. in the grassy area of Kleman Plaza. Speakers will include Stoneman Douglas students and shooting survivors such as Sarah Chadwick and Lauren Hogg, the younger sister of outspoken student David Hogg. The students will be joined by Pulse Nightclub shooting survivor Brandon Wolf and other local leaders.

Contact Ashley White at adwhite@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @AshleyyDi.