13 Gun Violence Protest Sign Ideas You Can Use At March For Our Lives

The childlike tone of this message helps evoke the stakes of the gun violence issue: youth lives.

Simple phrases shouldn't be dismissed — they are often the most memorable.

Think about the tone you want your sign to take. One option is to use it to state your point of view. Another is to challenge onlookers to change theirs, like this girl above. The tricky part, of course, is that you have limited space with which to do so — but that can also be an asset. "If the effort of prose is to persuade," writes Alexander Akin in The New Antiquarian, protest signs are "the epitome of concise communication."

Pro-gun politicians have been accused of following marching orders from the National Rifle Association instead of doing what's best for their constituents. President Trump actually leveled that criticism at Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) during a televised meeting about gun reform last month. Since then, the president has walked back many of his own gun reform ideas.

The Parkland gunman killed several adults who sacrificed themselves for students. However, the rhetoric in the aftermath of the massacre left some educators worried that the public expected them to lay down their lives. Teachers "are not self-sacrificing martyrs," wrote one educator in Fortune. "They are professionals with a specific and limited skill set who also have their own families and lives and hobbies."

Some conservatives have been pushing legislation that would arm teachers. In fact, Florida passed a law earlier this month that included a limited program to do just that, as well as raising the minimum age of purchasing firearms from 18 to 21 and banning bump stocks.

When young activists across the country walked out of class in protest of gun violence earlier in the month, they drew a lot of criticism from conservatives. This sign is an excellent response, and a reminder — because there can never be too many — that the students who've been killed by guns were real, flesh-and-blood humans who were robbed of decades of living.

If you're struggling to come up with an idea for a sign, consider highlighting one of the everyday effects that gun violence has on survivors and victims' families.

Sometimes, the best signs are the kind that force you to stop and think about the arguments at play, and how some of them, upon closer examination, are quite silly.

It's demonstrably true. On a somewhat less snarky note, "One Child Is Worth More Than All The Guns On Earth" also sends a powerful message.

It's dark but powerful reminder of how much money is spent in an attempt to block any form of gun control.

Another good response to the "kids should be in school, not protesting" crowd.

Wakanda is always relevant.

Over 800 March For Our Lives rallies will take place around the country tomorrow. Most begin at noon; check the website for more details.

Seth Millstein contributed to this report.