FGCU group to lead demonstration Tuesday against gun control legislation

Some students at FGCU are planning to show their support for the second amendment Tuesday—on their hip.

“We really want to clear up any misconceptions you have because you’re right, people do get afraid and we want to try and clear that up,” said Ryan Kennedy, with the FGCU College Republicans.

So what do they plan to do?

“We’re going to wear empty gun holsters on our belts. They are empty, they are going to be shown so everybody sees it,” Kennedy said.

The group will lead a demonstration Tuesday against gun control legislation.

“We do support the second amendment. We do support a person’s right to bear arms. We’re against assault weapon ban and we want to express our viewpoints as conservative students,” Kennedy said.

But other organizations in SWFL say change is needed after Parkland.

“We have to be the change,” said Crystal Wimperis with Moms Demand Action.

More than a dozen people showed up to the Moms Demand Action meeting Monday night. They’re a grassroots group fighting for what they call “common sense gun reform.”

“There’s a lot of things that need to happen to reduce gun violence, like getting background checks on every single gun sale. Part of the change is legislative, but it’s also a cultural change as well,” Wimperis said.

The bipartisan organization says they support the second amendment, but mass shootings like in Parkland could have been avoided. That’s why they want a dialogue between both sides of the issue.

“Our country has respected the second amendment. We’ve also had common sense gun laws in this country. We know both can take place,” said Lynn Moore, with the group.

On Thursday, FGCU’s College Republicans, as well as Moms Demand Action, will be hosting a second amendment panel that’s free and open to the public.

The panel starts at 7 p.m. at the Cohen Center on FGCU’s campus.