Anti-gun rallies are taking place in more than 800 cities in the United States, and the number of people who rallied against guns in Washington is estimated to be more than half a million. They all want the Government to be more strict regarding gun ownership in America.
Paul McCartney joined the New York anti-gun rally. He said he has a special interest considering that his friend John Lennon was shot to death nearby the place where the rally took place.
The rally was organized by teenagers who survived the February 14 attack in Parkland, Florida, an attack that caused the death of 17 students and teachers.
“Politicians, represent the people or go away. Stand with us or get out of the way” Cameron Kasky, 17 years old, told the crowd.
David Hogg, who is also a survivor of the Parkand High shooting, said: ” We’re going to make sure that the best people are chosen to lead, not as politicians but as American. We can and we will change the world!” David Hogg also said.
In New York, a few gun supporters carried boards with the message: ” Let America armed” and “Trump reelected in 2020″.
The crowd also had some words to say to the NRA: ” Hey, hey NRA, how many kids have you killed today?”.
Actor George Clooney and his wife donated $500,000 to support the rallies. At the Washington rally celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato were also present on the street.
Donald Trump, who initially was for stricter gun laws, changed his position after meeting with the NRA. Donald Trump left Washington on Friday.
According to an online petition, the organizers of the rally have three main requests:
- ban of high capacity barrels
- fixing errors in background checks of people who buy guns and a law that requires a verification for every gun purchase, including guns purchased online or at gun fairs.
- a law that prohibits assault weapons which are usually used in shootings
Similar rallies are taking place in more than 800 cities in the United States and in the world, including cities such as Mumbai, Tokyo, Sydney and London. The people are asking the U.S. Congress to make legislation changes regarding gun control.
Brianna O’Shaughnessy, a 20 years old student from Boston who goes to college in Denmark, joined the rally in Copenhagen. “This movement is international, it goes past borders, gender, race and political affiliations. I am sick of politicians who support guns. It’s enough. My younger brother didn’t went to school because classes were cancelled because of gun threats. It’s not normal. It’s enough” Brianna said.
White House reaction to anti-gun rallies
The press secretary of the White House, Lindsay Walters, issued a press statement about the rallies: ” We salute young and brave Americans who are exercising their rights. The safety of our children is a priority for the President and this is why he called on Congress to approve the Stop Violence in Schools law. Moreover, on Friday, the United States Department of Justice ordered for assault weapons to be banned, taking further the president’s commitment to ban devices that transform legal weapons into illegal weapons”.
March for our Lives in VIDEOS
WATCH: Emma Gonzalez names the murdered Parkland victims and observes several minutes of silence in a 6-minute, 20-second speech that covered the same time it took the gunman to kill 17 people in her high school:
“Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.” pic.twitter.com/OrTfuTdSNn
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 24, 2018
“One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here, so it’s important to me,” says Paul McCartney, remembering his Beatles bandmate John Lennon at the March for Our Lives in New York City https://t.co/u4aBKWC1Jb pic.twitter.com/8Jnjn8A3xH
— CNN (@CNN) March 24, 2018
March for our Lives in PHOTOS
