Framing Gun Violence Prevention as Positive Peace: Insights From March for Our Lives

The interplay between social movements and public policy often reflects tension and resistance, particularly in contexts of entrenched systemic power. In the United States, gun violence exemplifies this dynamic, as repeated mass shootings and high firearm-related mortality have yielded minimal federal policy change. Following the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, student survivors founded the youth-led movement March for Our Lives (MFOL), rapidly mobilizing nationwide advocacy for gun violence prevention. Unlike traditional gun control efforts, MFOL frames gun violence as a multidimensional structural justice issue, linking it to poverty, racial inequities, political disenfranchisement, and the normalization of firearms. By emphasizing positive peace—justice, equity, and the dismantling of structural violence—MFOL seeks to reorient public discourse and policy agendas, moving beyond law-and-order or Second Amendment debates. This paper examines MFOL’s strategies in reframing gun violence, the movement’s influence on youth engagement and civic participation, and the broader implications for understanding social movements as catalysts for structural change. Through this lens, MFOL exemplifies how contemporary activism can advance a holistic vision of peace that intersects with social justice and policy reform.