NEW ORLEANS_House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was a victim of gun violence, but students here have a message for him: Shame on you.
On Saturday, New Orleans high school students held signs confronting the congressman ahead of the local March for Our Lives rally.
"He has an A-rating from the NRA and will never be an advocate for tougher gun laws," Louise Olivier, 16, a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School, said as she held a sign assailing the Republican. "He almost died from a gunshot wound and still refuses to do anything."
In June, Scalise, who represents Louisiana's 1st Congressional District, which spans areas outside New Orleans, was among those injured when a gunman opened fire on an early-morning baseball practice attended by Republican members of Congress. Even after the shooting, Scalise has voiced staunch opposition to stricter gun laws.
Olivia Keefe, 17, a classmate of Louise's, said gun-control legislation should not be a partisan issue.
"This is not about Democrats or Republicans at all. ... This is about common sense," she said. "We need laws so a guy doesn't have the chance to go on to a baseball field and start shooting."
Early Saturday, several dozen people gathered here in Washington Square Park, where they will march to City Hall to call for stricter gun laws.
