‘Die-in’ sheds light on inaction over gun violence

While there were only six students participating, the message was just as pressing for the few who staged a 12-minute “die-in” protest at noon Tuesday at the state Capitol rotunda.

At noon the half-dozen dropped to the ground near the steps of the Capitol and imitated dead bodies.

It was a gesture of solidarity with victims across the U.S. and and part of a national day of protests against what the demonstrators said is continued inaction by lawmakers in putting an end to gun violence. Tuesday also marked the second anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., which claimed 49 victims.

“So the 12 minutes symbolize 720 seconds, roughly the number of people killed in the past two years from gun violence since that shooting,” said Sarah Catino, a senior at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Although the media is covering mass shootings in schools, nightclubs and elsewhere in the community, it’s important to remember that other forms of gun violence happen on a daily basis, especially with regards to minorities and in domestic violence situations.”

The students also were protesting against politicians who offer “thoughts and prayers” to victims and survivors while accepting donations from the National Rifle Association in exchange for preventing any meaningful reform from moving forward.

Catino, 27, said she also wanted to bring attention to how gun violence intersects with injustice and inequity among disenfranchised groups, and plays a role in hate crimes and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“In March and in April we said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and demanded better laws regarding guns,” said Taylor McKenzie, a recent Sacred Hearts Academy graduate. “It’s June, and there has been no significant movement on gun reform. This must change.”

She said she wanted an overhaul of gun control laws, including mandatory gun safety classes, background checks and what she said were simply “common-sense” laws.

“We’re not trying to take away your Second Amendment rights,” she said. “We are saving people’s lives, making sure you know the power you have when you have this thing that has a trigger.”

McKenzie, 17, said she also wanted to raise awareness of violence against the LGBTQ community because June is also Pride Month. When the Pulse nightclub shooting occurred two years ago, she was still in high school. She recently began identifying with the LGBTQ community.

The students are members of the #NeverAgainHI coalition, which advocated for two gun reform bills at the state Legislature this session, including a ban on bump stocks and other trigger modifications, as well as a bill shortening the mandatory gun recall period for those convicted of a violent crime or otherwise ordered to surrender their firearms.

Both bills passed through the Legislature but have not yet been signed by Gov. David Ige.

In addition to a 17-minute student and faculty walkout March 14 in solidarity with survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, the coalition organized the “March for Our Lives” rally on March 24. In August the coalition will hold a March to the Polls rally before Hawaii’s primary election in August.

Information on the coalition’s events is available at fb.com/MarchForOurLivesHI.