'We are your future, but your future is being traumatized': Des Moines students urge gun reform during March for Our Lives

On Valentines Day, Melissa Zapata arranged 17 candles into the shape of a heart, watching the flames flicker in memory of the lives lost to gun violence at her alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a year earlier.

"Such trauma and emotional stress does not go away overnight, or even a year after the incident," said Zapata, 24, a medical student at Des Moines University, mentioning two Parkland students who'd committed suicide in the past week.

She was among half a dozen students from the Des Moines area who spoke on the steps of Iowa's Capitol on Sunday afternoon, urging those gathered to vote for responsible gun reform as part of the city's second March for Our Lives event.

"These guns aren't what's keeping us safe, but what's making us afraid," said Jill Caranci, a junior at Valley High School who said she didn't think much about gun laws until she had to hunker down in the corner of her classroom as part of an active shooter training.

► More:'Apparent suicide' claims second Parkland school shooting survivor in a week 

Gbomi Kayode, a fifth-grader at Morris Elementary School, was the youngest speaker to take the microphone, performing a spoken word piece she'd written for those gathered under the overcast sky.

A few lines in, she clasped her hands over her eyes, exhaling a deep sob.

"You're so brave," someone shouted from the crowd as the group erupted into applause.

"We are your future, but your future is being traumatized," she said through tears. "Your future is me, a 10-year-old who can't do anything but pray."

March for Our Lives, conceived by students last year following the Parkland shooting, provided an avenue for groups to gather across the country to advocate for stricter gun control laws.

► More:At 1 million plus strong, March for Our Lives rallies make powerful statement

One year ago, about 3,000 marchers took to the snowy steps of Iowa's Capitol in support of stricter gun laws. Only about 100 people gathered at the same steps Sunday afternoon; some blamed the NCAA March Madness tournament for the smaller number, others joked that while snow couldn't keep crowds away, rain could.

Regardless of the crowd size, Matt Sinovic, executive director of Progress Iowa, a facilitator of the Des Moines march, said it's important to continue holding events like this before the next shooting happens.

"We keep having these tragedies and refusing to learn any lesson from them," he said, stressing the importance of taking action as a community.

Jamie Woods has been chair for the Iowa Democratic Black Caucus for about three years. In that time, she said the conversation around gun violence transitioned from prayers to action, adding that it was refreshing to see young people "speaking their truth" and encouraging those who can vote to take care of those who can't.

Following half a dozen speeches all echoing the same calls to action by way of the ballot box, the student speakers picked up their signs and led the crowd around the Capitol.

"A bulletproof backpack should not be a school supply," one sign read.

Arham Sheikh, 17, was part of the group striding down the steps. The exchange student from India received an email from the U.S. embassy in May approving the travel to America. That same day, a high school shooting in Sante Fe, Texas, killed 10, including a Pakistani exchange student.

"It was a really hard decision for me to come to America, considering the gun violence," said Sheikh, a senior at Roosevelt High School. "Now that I'm here, I think it's my responsibility to stand with the people of America."

Register reporter Anna Spoerre can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387 or on Twitter at @annaspoerre.