WORCESTER, Mass. — Dozens of students in Massachusetts are marching 50 miles to Smith & Wesson's headquarters to call for stricter gun control following recent school shootings in the U.S.
The "50 Miles More" march kicked off with a rally at 9 a.m. Thursday at Worcester City Hall and ends at the gun-maker's headquarters in Springfield on Sunday.
A survivor of February's shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and a parent of one of the young victims are joining the march, which is part of a national campaign.
Organizers say about 70 people will be marching over four days. Once they arrive at Smith & Wesson's headquarters, they will ask the company to stop manufacturing and producing weapons outlawed under the 2004 Massachusetts assault weapons ban.
Students say they're targeting Smith & Wesson for its role in producing the weapons used in mass shootings in Parkland, Florida; San Bernardino, California; Aurora, Colorado, and elsewhere.
Two students who spoke with Boston 25 News said they requested a meeting with Smith & Wesson in a letter, signed by U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, but the company denied the request a few months ago.
"We are really urging them to be held accountable and come out saying that they contributed to the mass epidemic," said Chinaly Chanvong, of Springfield.
The march's name is meant to echo seminal marches in Alabama during the Civil Rights era.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
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