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Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

Hundreds Participate In Fort Wayne's "March For Our Lives"

Zach Bernard/WBOI News

Local high school students, educators and public officials gathered at the Allen County Courthouse Saturday for the national March For Our Lives event.

Roughly 300 Northeast Indiana residents came out for the second rally against gun violence on the Courthouse Green in a month. Students, candidates and elected officials spoke for more than an hour making a call for change to federal gun laws.

Homestead High School student Magnolia Keane organized the event with her friend Sophia Ahmad, from Canterbury. Keane says students around the country have to stay persistent in the fight against gun violence.

“We must keep this issue in the press. We must show our leaders that we are serious,” said Keane. “We, as a generation, must stop the trend of voting for politicians who take donations from the NRA.”

South Side High School student Blaine McRae says his parents are teachers who detest the idea of having to use a gun in the classroom. He says the outlook for change remains optimistic, due to the thousands of others across the country marching alongside them.

“In the end, the control falls to the people,” said McRae. “The people in a democracy have autonomy, not the politicians. The people have the power to assemble like we have today.”

Mayor Tom Henry was also on hand to provide a few words of support. He says he’s disappointed his generation couldn’t solve the nation’s gun problems, and mentioned his work with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to try and answer some local problems related to guns. He says there should be mandatory background checks for prospective gun owners and also a ban on assault rifles and high-powered magazines.

Henry reiterated that Americans have rights they’re entitled to when it comes to gun ownership, and says there’s nothing wrong with having one for something like target practice.

“I don’t see anywhere in this country where there is a need for military assault rifles. Military assault rifles are built to kill people! And I know of what I speak because I spent several years in the United States Army and that’s what we used. To kill people,” said Henry.

“There is no place for that in a civilized country like we profess to have.”

Henry also reiterated his focus on trafficking of firearms from state to state, and noted Indiana’s lax gun laws as a reason for Chicago’s gun violence.

The band Overlook performed before the rally began and during the march. Many speakers repeated the urgency and need for young people to vote, and the League of Women Voters were on hand to register anyone interested and eligible.

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Zach joined 89.1 WBOI as a reporter and local host for All Things Considered, and hosted Morning Edition for the past few years. In 2022, he was promoted to Content Director.
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