On Saturday, March 24th, people of all ages marched in support of gun control, creating one of the largest protests in history.
March For Our Lives was organized by #NeverAgain, a movement created by a group of students that survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14th of this year.
According to CNN and the petition on the movement’s website, March For Our Lives has three demands:
- Pass a law to ban assault weapons frequently used to carry out mass shootings
- Stop the sale of high-capacity magazines, restricting the amount of ammunition
- Close loopholes in America’s background checks and implement laws that require background checks on every gun purchase, including those that occur online or at gun shows
The main march took place in Washington, D.C. but according to ABC News, all 50 states participated in the March for Our Lives.
The Parkland students, as well as many others around the country, called on law-makers to take action on gun control during their speeches. Emma Gonzalez, a Parkland student, made an impactful statement by remaining silent during the first few minutes of her speech.
“Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,” Gonzales continued, “the shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”
David Hogg, another survivor from the Parkland shooting, gave his speech on how we are going to make gun laws into a voting issue.
“We are going to take this to every election, to every state and every city. When politicians send their thoughts and prayers with no action, we say, ‘No more,’ and to those politicians supported by the NRA, that allow the continued slaughter of our children and our future, I say get your resumes ready.”
But it doesn’t just stop here. According to CNN, advocates from #NeverAgain have called for another national school walkout on April 20th, for the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.
The March For Our Lives represents the fight for a solution to gun violence across the United States and may go down in the books as one of the biggest protests in history.
