Thousands of protesters are expected to demonstrate on Saturday in Washington, DC, and in separate demonstrations across the country as part of a new push for gun control across the country. Motivated by a further rise in mass shootings, from Uvalde, Texas to Buffalo, New York, protesters say lawmakers must take note of the change in public opinion and finally enact radical reforms.
Organizers expect the second March for Our Lives rally to attract about 50,000 protesters to the Washington Monument. That’s far less than the original 2018 march, which filled downtown Washington with more than 200,000 people. This time, organizers are focusing on holding smaller marches at an estimated 300 venues.
“We want to make sure this work is happening across the country,” said Daud Mumin, co-chair of the march’s board of directors and a recent graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City. “This job is not just about DC, not just senators.”
According to the March for Our Lives website, there is a planned rally in Toronto, near the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue.
Gun control activists take part in a protest near the Washington Monument on Saturday at the National Mall. About 300 meetings were expected in the United States. (Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images)
The first march was fueled by the February 14, 2018 murder of 14 students and three staff members by a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student in Parkland, Florida.
This massacre led to the creation of the youth-led March for Our Lives movement, which successfully lobbied the Republican-dominated government of Florida to enact radical gun control reforms.
Parkland students then pointed to gun laws in other states and nationwide, launching March for Our Lives and holding the big rally in Washington on March 24, 2018.
The group did not match Florida’s results nationwide, but has persisted in defending gun restrictions ever since, as well as participating in voter registration actions.
Today, young people from all over the country are back with
I join them in repeating my call to Congress: do something.
– @ POTUS
He hopes recent tragedies can drive changes in the law
With another series of massive shootings returning gun control to the national conversation, organizers of this weekend’s events say it’s the right time to renew their drive for a national overhaul.
“We’re angry right now,” said Mariah Cooley, a board member for March for Our Lives and a senior at Howard University in Washington. “This will be a demonstration to show that we, as Americans, will not stop soon until Congress does its job. And if not, we will vote for them.”
TARGET | Miah Cerrillo’s testimony attracts the congressional hearing:
A Texas school shooting survivor presents graphic evidence to the committee
This video contains content that some viewers may find distressing. Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grader who survived the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, described how she avoided the gunman while killing her classmates.
The protest comes at a time of renewed political activity on arms and a crucial moment for possible action in Congress.
Survivors of mass shootings and other incidents of armed violence have pressured lawmakers and testified on Capitol Hill this week. Among them was Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old girl who survived the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24. He told lawmakers how he covered himself with the blood of a dead companion to avoid being shot.
On Tuesday, actor Matthew McConaughey appeared in the White House information room to call for gun legislation and made very personal comments about the violence in his hometown of Uvalde.
TARGET | Matthew McConaughey calls for bipartisan action:
Matthew McConaughey makes an emotional plea for gun control reform
Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey made an emotional plea for gun control reform in the United States during a speech at the White House. Uvalde, Texas, the site of a recent deadly shooting at elementary school, is the actor’s hometown.
The House of Representatives has passed bills that would raise the age limit for buying semi-automatic weapons and establish “red flag” federal laws. But these initiatives have traditionally stalled or been greatly softened in the Senate. Democratic and Republican senators were hoping to reach an agreement this week on a framework to address the issue and spoke on Friday, but had not announced any agreement in the early hours of the evening.
Mumin, co-chair of the march, referred to the Senate as “where substantive action dies” and said the new march was intended to send a message to lawmakers that public opinion on gun control is changing under the his feet.
“If they are not on our side, there will be consequences: voting them out of office and making their lives a living hell when they are in office,” he said.