DALLAS — In the wake of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead, many people are filled with a wide range of emotions.
This has also brought with it many protests, parades and messages from people across the state and country.
So Saturday night, WFAA went to an "Enough is Enough" protest and march at Dallas City Hall. We didn't go looking to interview people; we went looking to listen.
After setting up two chairs, a camera and a microphone, we wrote a single question on a nearby whiteboard and waited for anyone who wanted to speak his or her mind:
"What is your solution?"
Byron Sanders (Oak Cliff): "You know I saw a lot of people say when Sandy Hook happened, it was clear that this country wasn't going to do anything. I decided after Uvalde, that's unacceptable. We can and should do something."
Savannah Medina (Farmers Branch): "I honestly don't have a solution. I'm just a teacher who's scared for her life, for her children's lives."
Andrew McGregor (Oak Cliff): "I think we need common sense gun reform. This has been around a long time. We had an assault rifle ban from 1994 to 2004. It expired under George Bush. When we had that assault rifle ban, we didn't have as many of these events. So I think a big step would be to start going for that."
Savannah Medina (Farmers Branch): "I walk into the school every single day. It's just a thought that pops into my head, a possibility that it could happen. It's something that shouldn't be happening. I shouldn't have a thought about in my life, honestly. Nobody should ever have to walk into a school and fear for their life. It's just not OK."
Richard Rios (Dallas): "We should have more gun control. You know, more restrictive requirements for obtaining weapons and to enforce the law. You know, more law enforcement."
Andrew McGregor (Oak Cliff): "Security is good. I think we need some, but I don't think it's the only solution, and I don't think it's going to fix things."
Richard Rios (Dallas): "To enforce gun control vigorously without a doubt. Don't just sentence people. Carry out the sentence. Don't just let them live free. I believe this is a tragic atrocity. It's not being dealt with enough. It's only going to increase if we do not do something about it as individuals and as groups. I mean, there's strength in numbers. If we can have more people participating in things like this, then things that happen in Uvalde would be nonexistent, in my opinion."
Andrew McGregor (Oak Cliff): Background checks. Mandatory minimum waiting period times. The age of 18 is too low. I think it needs to go back to 21 like we did before."
Lindsey Rodriguez (Irving): "My solution, currently right now, I guess is getting out to the younger population. People who look like me, not just in age, not just in gender, but specifically skin color, too. Coming from a community that's full of Hispanic people. Coming from a family or environment where your parent can't vote or your parent isn't at your house at most times, you aren't really sure how to vote. So I definitely think that is something that I think is a solution. Voting. Because that's really the only way we're going to get legislation done."
Byron Sanders (Oak Cliff): "I think about my ancestors and forefathers who fought through the civil rights movement, with what they saw. Fighting for a reality that they never even could dream of and definitely hadn't seen before but they kept fighting. And we are now, too, and young people are fighting. What we need to do is push for things that are already in motion. House Bill 8 has already been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. It's our senators who need to move."
Andrew McGregor (Oak Cliff): "I teach at the college level, and I have students that can bring firearms into the classroom. They're free to do so. So even with security, I don't know which students have a gun and don't. I think we need to absolutely get them out of the classroom, even at the college level. Because it gets rid of free speech. It gets rid of free debate. It hampers the learning environment."
Byron Sanders (Oak Cliff): "And what we need to fight for is in Texas. This is not a partisan issue. People on both sides of the aisle want to see something done. Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz...do something. Vote to make the legislation that's already been passed by the House. We need that now."
Byron Sanders (Oak Cliff): "Federal action on making these automatic, semi-automatic weapons harder to get their hands on. People's lives are literally depending on it. And we're not going to stop. We're not going to stop.
Richard Rios (Dallas): "It's a terrible tragedy. It's a disgrace. That's my opinion, and I hope it means something to somebody because it does to me."