Gov. Cuomo walked out with students protesting gun violence in New York City - but refused to endorse their most radical idea
- Students walked out of schools across the country protesting gun violence on Wednesday.
- New York Gov. Chris Cuomo joined students in Lower Manhattan.
- While Cuomo said he supported the students, he didn't get behind some of their calls to ban guns entirely.
New York Governor Chris Cuomo joined hundreds of students in Lower Manhattan as they staged a "die-in" during the National School Walkout on Wednesday. While he seemed supportive of their aims and energy, he shied away from throwing his weight behind some of their most controversial proposals.
A boisterous crowd of protesting students filled in Zuccotti Park in New York City's financial district, holding signs decrying the epidemic of gun violence in schools across the country.
Student Ida Butcher had some harsh words for the governor, who she said hasn't been vocal enough on the gun issue.
"Governor Cuomo, you gotta do better than this, my guy. You're doing real bad, real bad," Butcher told Business Insider. "Look at how everybody's dying for no reason. What if that was to happen over here? Now what are you going to do?"
The crowd, which represented just one out of many groups of students who had walked out of schools across New York City, moved out of the park, and Cuomo marched with them.
When pressed on his response to student's who were concerned about his response, he offered a measured response.
"I don't want to argue with the students because I'm very impressed with them and their activism," he said. "After Sandy Hook, we passed something called the SAFE Act, which is the single most aggressive gun safety law in the United States of America."
New York state's SAFE Act, which became law in 2013, is broad - it includes an assault weapons ban, mandates universal background checks, and requires life without parole for anyone who kills a first responder.
"Some of the students were saying we should ban guns totally. We should just have a society with no guns. I understand that sentiment," Cuomo continued. "That's not my position; that's not the Constitution. But I respect the student's position, which is absolutest. I understand their position, but I don't agree with it."
As Cuomo continued to march with students, many expressed their condolences for students killed in school shootings.
Nathanial Singleton participated in the die-in at Zuccotti Park.
"We're here to respect the dead 17 kids who died in the Florida shooting," Singleton said. "We want to say sorry to their families who died, and bless their souls. I just gotta tell the truth. There's no way you're going to stop school shootings with just changing the laws."
The New York City students joined kids across the US protesting in 3,000 demonstrations. They walked out of school for 17 minutes, each minute commemorating a death in the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school a month ago.
Watch Cuomo's response to students here: