March for Our Lives wrote “Thoughts And Prayers” in bodybags on the National Mall
"We wanted to reverse that message"
To send a message to Congress and mark four years since the March for Our Lives, the gun reform group spelled out “Thoughts And Prayers” in black bodybags on the National Mall last Thursday.
“We often hear politicians again again, 'we send our thoughts and prayers' and today we wanted to reverse that message to show them the cost of just sending those thoughts and prayers without acting, which are these people,” said David Hogg, the activist who survived the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
More than 1,100 bodybags were used, each representing more than 150 deaths for the more than 170,000 people who’ve been killed by gun violence in the U.S. since the Parkland shooting.
March for Our Lives is calling for Congress to take federal action on universal background checks. An April 2021 Pew poll found 81% of Americans support background checks for private gun sales and gun shows, including a majority of Democrats and Republicans.
“We aren’t divided on this issue, Congress is divided on this issue because there are special interests involved that don’t want them to act to protect our young people from violence,” Hogg told NBC 4 Washington.