DES MOINES, Iowa – Around 400 students from Iowa high schools walked out of classes just as massive snowstorm was about to descend and gathered in the state capitol, protesting gun violence following a shooting at Perry High School, 40 miles northwest of here.

Their protest comes a week before Republicans in the state hold its presidential caucus. Candidates have flocked to the state, commenting on last week’s Perry shooting that killed one student and injured seven others during campaign events. 

During a rally in Sioux Center, 190 miles northeast of Perry, former President Donald Trump sent his “support and deepest sympathies” to the victims and families in Perry but said residents “have to get over it” and move forward. Trump is currently the front-runner in Iowa polls. 

“But we have to get over it. We have to move forward,” Trump said. “To all the relatives, and all the people who are devastated right now, to the point they can’t breathe, they can’t live, we are with you all the way.”  

Trump’s comments drew criticism from President Joe Biden, who said his response is to stop gun violence rather than get over it. Beyond Biden, Trump’s response didn’t sit right with young Iowans who walked out before the snowstorm dumped up to 12” on the Des Moines area, nor did it surprise them. 

Xavier Lago, a Waukee Northwest High School junior, said he wasn’t shocked by Trump’s response.

“Telling us to move on is actually not surprising, because that’s what many Republican want us to do,” Lago said. “They don’t actually care about our children. They care about looking good in the moment because none of them have done anything to prevent (gun violence).”

Christopher Ramires Chavez, a junior at East High School, led his school’s walkout on Monday. He found Trump’s response to be “disingenuous.” Ramires Chavez believes Trump has lost his connection with the people who care about gun control.

Other candidates in Iowa responded to the Perry shooting on the campaign trail. During a town hall aired by CNN on the day of the Perry shooting, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced his objection to waiting periods to buy a gun and said background checks “should be instant.”

DeSantis was serving as a representative for Florida in the U.S. House during the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland. Then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a large gun reform package into law, which included a red flag policy.

Republican lawmakers agreed to raise the age to own a gun to 21 and enforced a three-day waiting period when purchasing most rifles. School security and mental health resources were priorities in the $400 million package. 

While campaigning for governor in 2018, DeSantis openly opposed the gun restrictions proposed after the Parkland shooting. He told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he would’ve vetoed the bill.

Both Lago and Ramires Chavez found DeSantis’ response to the Perry shooting to be disrespectful and disheartening. Ramires Chavez said he assumes DeSantis responded the way he did for political reasons.

“I think (DeSantis) recognizes the issue way more than Trump,” Ramires Chavez said. “But he’s trying to avoid it because the Republican voter base, especially with the NRA, seem to be staunchly for gun rights.”

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley immediately called for increased mental health resources following the Perry shooting. She also said she opposed any new limits on firearms. 

Haley spoke to the Des Moines Register and NBC News about her experiences with gun violence while serving as the governor of South Carolina. She recalled the 2016 shooting of Jacob Hall in South Carolina. Hall was a first-grader when he was shot and killed on his school playground. 

In 2015, a white supremacist killed nine worshippers at an African American church in Charleston. Then, Haley also argued for improvements to mental health services. She has talked about the Charleston shooting while campaigning for president in her home state.

Lago said he believes mental health does play a role in gun violence, but it ultimately comes down to the individual circumstances. Ramires Chavez said he partially agrees with Haley’s response.

“It’s part of the equation, but I wouldn’t say it’s the full cause of it,” Ramires Chavez said. “There is an argument to be made that mental health needs to be of discussion.”

Lago doesn’t think there’s anything to be said to GOP candidates regarding gun control. He believes there is no chance of convincing conservatives to care about the issue.

“They have sold their soul, they know what they want,” Lago said. “They want the power and status of the presidency, they want to look good … They were going to die on this hill no matter what, no matter how many children died.”

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.  For more stories by Gaylord College go to GaylordNews.net.