A group of about 30 people, mostly adults, called for the encouragement of students speaking out about gun violence in schools and for gun law reform Friday at a rally in Butler's Diamond Park.

The Support Our Students rally was held on the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado and as a sister event to a National School Walkout conducted nationwide Friday.

Rally organizer Linda Schoettker of Connoquenessing said students are being discouraged from staging walkouts and threatened with punishment if they do.

She called it “tragic and dangerous” and said students wishing to stage walkouts and voice their opinions should be supported.

“It is not just OK, but necessary to speak out. Some people are telling you a small group of people can't change the world. They're lying to you,” Schoettker said.

Dr. Joe Talarico said he treated many gunshot victims when he was a trauma physician at UPMC Presbyterian and most survived because 9 mm bullets, the caliber most often used in inner city violence, do not cause as much damage as the bullets used in AR-15 guns, which have been used in some of the recent shootings at schools.

Most shooting victims survived if the 9 mm that struck them didn't hit a vein, but AR-15 bullets travel at a higher velocity and leave holes the size of a fist, he said.

“It's become the weapon of choice for mass murder,” said Talarico, who lives near Zelienople.

He said some of the people charged in school shootings have been diagnosed with mental health issues that can be managed, but not cured, so something should be done to regulate AR-15 ownership.

Dianna Arnold, a former teacher and school administrator, said teachers are being forced to decide if they are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their students from a shooter inside a school.

“Teachers must think about: What am I willing to do to protect children?” the former Butler resident said. “My heart is with teachers, the children and those that work at schools.”

She said she hopes young leaders organize and achieve change to protect schools.

Michael Bagdes-Canning of Cherry Valley criticized Congress and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, for passing legislation that provides funding for metal detectors at schools, but not taking action to prevent gun violence.

Several members of the group went to Kelly's office in Morgan Center in hopes of speaking with him, but he wasn't there.

Stephanie Stevenson, one of Kelly's staff members, said she typed the comments from the group members and emailed them to Kelly's Washington, D.C., office.

“We need real solutions to gun violence,” Bagdes-Canning said.

Chris Rieger of Cranberry Township, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Kelly in this year's election, said he recently attended a “March for Our Lives” rally in Erie where many students spoke and thousands of people attended.

He said student-led rallies stemming from the February school shooting in Parkland, Fla., are carrying more weight than calls for gun control that came after previous school shootings.

“This is different because kids are doing it,” Rieger said.

He said his wife, a teacher, told him that “teachers are being trained to be body guards for students.”

She is willing to do that, but it is something she never expected to be asked to do, Rieger said.

He called for students and adults to continue speaking out for stronger gun laws.

“Democracy is not just voting,” Rieger said. “Democracy is participating.”

Michele Bertini, a former high school and college teacher, said lawmakers would rather arm teachers than stand up to the firearm industry in response to gun violence.

“We have accepted norms that aren't normal.” Bertini said. “We need good gun regulation.”

She said she doesn't advocate taking people's guns, but banning the public from purchasing guns designed for military use.

“They're not used for hunting. They serve no purpose in people's homes. They're used in the military. We need to stand up and take a hard line against things that don't make sense,” she said.

Jessie Medvan of Mercer, a member of Veterans for Peace Chapter 47 of Western Pennsylvania, also called for banning weapons designed for the military.

“As a soldier, I believe weapons of war have no place in society,” Medvan said.

She said people must oppose lawmakers influenced by corporations.