Standing on the side of the road, just on the grass in front of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) on Mile Hill Road, members of the Junior Newtown Action Alliance (Jr NAA) spoke out and protested on May 5. The students addressed the "murder of innocents" and persisting in efforts against gun violence.studentsmarch.org students at a #Rally4Reform protest in Dallas, Texas; and Newtown Action Alliance (NAA) Chair Po Murray joined actress Alyssa Milano, actress Francis Fisher, actor Kendrick Sampson, Parkland father Fred Guttenberg, and other survivors and activists at the #NoRA Protest at Belo Park, near the convention center where the National Rifle Association (NRA) held its annual meeting, according to Ms Murray.

Roughly 40 people joined the protest throughout the afternoon. Some attendees wore orange, a nod to the upcoming Wear Orange Rally in June for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Others wore T-shirts from past events, and others wore shirts with words like "Gun Safety Voter." They held signs asking to "end gun violence" or "protect our kids, not your guns."

Students took turns speaking. Newtown High School junior Jenny Wadhwa, a Jr NAA member, said her generation's children will be confused over the trend of "shooting after shooting." She said her group is asking for a ban on AR-15 rifles and bump stocks. [The Connecticut Senate voted 26 to 10, May 8, for final passage of a bill that bans the sale and ownership of bump stocks in Connecticut.] It is also seeking background checks, she said. Jenny said she believes the NRA and NSSF are hoping "we forget about" the issue.

"We are showing them that we are never going to forget," Jenny said. Later, she added, "The murder of innocents should not be the price of compromise."

Ben Albee, a NHS junior and Jr NAA member, said more guns would not lead to less innocents' deaths.

"The NSSF and the NRA do not share our concerns," he said.

When he spoke, Jr NAA Co-Chair Jackson Mittleman said a school is a not a place for "dramatic moments."

"Politicians," he continued, "need to be reminded this is not a red or blue issue, but an issue of life or death."

In a time when, he said, children go from hiding under desks to marching on Washington, the members of the Jr NAA will "persist." Jackson asked those standing before him to make sure no "corrupt politician" ever holds office again.

"Vote them out," he said.

A few steps away from Jackson, another student held a sign that read, "I can't wait to vote."

Responding to questions about the protest at NSSF, the foundation's Director of Public Affairs Michael Bazinet released a statement.

"The National Shooting Sports Foundation has long advocated for effective solutions to prevent access to firearms by criminals, children, and the dangerously mentally ill," he said on May 7. "We run programs that make a real difference. NSSF has led the way in improving the FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) through our FixNICS initiative that has reformed the law in 16 states and improved the reporting of disqualifying records. That initiative was the model for bipartisan legislation passed overwhelmingly by both houses of Congress and signed into law by [President Donald Trump]. Our Don't Lie for the Other Guy program helps retailers prevent illegal straw purchases and is run in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Project ChildSafe has distributed more than 37 million free gun locks since 1999."

The same day Jr NAA members protested in front of NSSF, Jr NAA Co-Chair Tommy Murray joined the

"Tommy and my main focus on our speeches was on the importance of getting out to vote. We must vote out those who take money from the NRA," said Ms Murray in an e-mail on May 9.

Ms Murray said the part of attending the rallies that held the most impact, for both her and Tommy, was meeting other students and survivors, "who share our desire to end gun violence so that we can live in a more peaceful less violent society."

"While there were armed protesters with assault weapons in Downtown Dallas, the Dallas residents welcomed us with open arms," Ms Murray said. "They were grateful that we joined them to counter the NRA. The top leaders of Dallas didn't want NRA to hold its convention in their city."