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May 27, 2022 - Politics & Policy

"Am I next?": Protesters across U.S. denounce inaction on gun control

Shawna Chen
Photo of kids and teens holding pictures of the victims of the Uvalde shooting. One child holds a sign that says "No guns, keep me safe!!!"

Children hold photos of victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting protest outside the National Rifle Association's annual meeting on May 27 in Houston. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

People across the U.S. spilled into the streets this week to protest the U.S.' inaction on gun control after an 18-year-old gunman killed 21 people, including 19 children, in a horrifying mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Driving the news: At the National Rifle Association's (NRA) convention in Houston on Friday, children stood in a line across the street, holding pictures of each child who died and signs that asked, "Am I next?"

  • The Uvalde shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history and has reignited fierce calls for stricter gun laws.

In photos

Photo of people holding a brown casket and signs with pictures of victims of the Uvalde shooting
Protesters carry a makeshift casket outside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Friday as the NRA holds its convention. Photo: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Photo of a person holding a picture of Ted Cruz with the words "Me and my boys kill kids" written in red across his chest
Protesters outside the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Friday. Photo: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Photo of people dress in white and wearing veils as they hold pictures of victims of the Uvalde shooting
Demonstrators from "Gays Against Guns" hold portraits of the victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting as they march during a silent procession near Times Square in New York City on May 26. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images
Photo of a person holding a sign with pictures of the victims of the Uvalde shooting while another person holds a sign that says "Your guns are killing our children"
A demonstrator holds a sign depicting children killed at the Robb Elementary School shooting during a rally demanding the Senate take action on gun safety on May 26 outside the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Photo of a person holding a sign that says "Enough has been enough for way too long" and a list of every school shooting since 1998
A protester holds a list of school shootings since 1998 during a demonstration with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America on May 25 at the Senate steps of the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
Photo of a person standing in a convertible car with a sign that says "How many kids need to die?"
A demonstrator protests during the NRA's annual convention in Houston on May 27. Photo: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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