SEE PICTURES | Heartbroken by gun violence: Rallies across US demand change
The "March for Our Lives" events on Saturday drew massive crowds in cities across the country, marking the largest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era.
The 'March for Our Lives' events on Saturday drew massive crowds in cities across the country, marking the largest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era. | AP
In Washington, D.C., New York City, Denver, Los Angeles and other cities, demonstrators heard from student survivors of last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida. | AP
The message at the different rallies was consistent, with demonstrators vowing to vote out lawmakers who refuse to take a stand now on gun control. Many rallies had tables where volunteers helped those 18 or older register to vote while speakers detailed the policies they wanted and the impact gun violence has had on their lives. | AP
Since the bloodshed in Florida, students have tapped into a current of gun control sentiment that has been building for years — yet still faces a powerful foe in the NRA, its millions of supporters and lawmakers who have resisted any encroachment on gun rights. | AP
Organisers are hoping the electricity of the crowds, their sheer numbers and the under-18 roster of speakers will create a tipping point, starting with the midterm congressional elections this fall. To that end, chants of 'Vote them out!' rang through the Washington crowd. | AP
Student protesters called for a ban on high-capacity magazines and assault-type weapons like the one used by the killer in Parkland, comprehensive background checks, and a higher minimum age to buy guns. | AP
About 30 gun-rights supporters staged a counter-demonstration in front of FBI headquarters, standing quietly with signs such as 'Armed Victims Live Longer' and 'Stop Violating Civil Rights.' Other gun-control protests around the country were also met with small counter-demonstrations. | AP
Around the country, protesters complained that they are scared of getting shot in school and tired of inaction by grown-ups after a series of mass shootings. | AP
People take part in a march rally against gun violence Saturday, March 24, 2018, in New York. Tens of thousands of people poured into the nation's capital and cities across America on Saturday to march for gun control and ignite political activism among the young. | AP
More than a million Americans flooded the streets of cities nationwide for emotional protests demanding tighter gun control on Saturday, marches spearheaded by teenagers from a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month. | AP
Signs carried by protestors lambasted lawmakers who oppose tougher laws and the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby. | AP
A crowd takes part in the March for Our Lives event on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at Perry Square in Erie, Pa. The event was held in conjunction with a national march taking place in Washington, D.C. | AP
Mary Pat Gunn, center, cheers this fellow demonstrators as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner addresses the crowd during a 'March for Our Lives' protest for gun legislation and school safety. | AP
Demonstrators pass a makeshift memorial to school shooting victims during a 'March for Our Lives' protest for gun legislation and school safety Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Houston. | AP
People participate in a 'March For Our Lives' event Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Norfolk, Va. | AP
