New Milford Kids To Walkout Of School In Protest Of Gun Violence

NEW MILFORD, NJ — Students at David E. Owens Middle School will participate in a nationwide walkout Wednesday in protest of recent gun violence in schools and to call for stricter firearm laws.

The 17-minute walkout is one of hundreds that will be held across the United States spearheaded by the Enough National School Walkout of the Women's March Youth EMPOWER nonprofit. The length of time is done in memory of the 17 victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this year. (See Related: Florida Shooting Victim, 14, Lived In NJ, 'Loved, Well-Respected')

The organization said the 10 a.m. walkouts are to "protest Congress' inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods." Other walkouts will occur in Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Fair Lawn and throughout New Jersey.

Residents are showing they support local students by displaying orange ribbons on their properties.

Rebecca Herman organized the Pascack Hills walkout. Casey Bedwell-Coll, a freshman at Glen Rock High School, organized the march there.

"There have been threats made and every single time there is one, my friends and I think we are going to die," Bedwell-Coll said. "I think the chances of something actually happening are slim, but there's something in the back of your mind as it's happening that tells you it could be real."

Click here for more information about the New Milford walkout.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.

Photo: Students participate in a protest against gun violence Feb. 21 outside the White House in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of students from a number of Maryland and DC schools walked out of their classrooms and made a trip to the U.S. Capitol and the White House to call for gun legislation, one week after 17 were killed in the latest mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)