On March 24, students, families and parents of March For Our Lives will walk the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today. Many people  around the nation are preparing for the “march for their lives” event this month to rally for gun control and school safety measures due to the deadly shooting at a Florida high school.

Thousands of people all over the U.S. are expected to join the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who have organized a testimony called “March for Our Lives.” The idea for the march came shortly after the Feb. 14 shooting at the Parkland Florida high school, where 17 people were killed by a former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. Cruz was armed with an AR-15 rifle that he had legally purchased, authorities said.

Junior Alyssa Evans thinks its necessary to hold this event because “gun control is important and there have been way too many shootings in schools to not be taking action.” Evans says “I think automatic/semi automatic weapons should be illegal for citizens to own and I think for handguns there should be an older age limit to have it and mental health checks.” She is planning on attending the event on March 24th because its something she believes in.

Junior Ariana Shindell thinks it is important to have this event because, “people are able to express their opinions and try to make a positive change.” Shindell thinks that a change that can happen among gun control is, “ people should have a background check to purchase a gun or there should be strict  rules on who can own one.” She is not attending on March 24th because she thinks, “some people are doing it for the wrong reason and the message is getting lost.”

Junior Gracie Reynolds strongly believes that “gun restrictions and rules should be more strict.” Reynolds said, “I don’t know why people have to wait for something tragic to happen for people to realize that gun ages should be raised.” She is very supportive of this event and encourages everyone to go because, “this is such a good way to be heard and understood!”

March for Our Lives is not the only protest being planned by students. Others include a March 14 school walkout organized by the Women’s March, along with the April 20 National High School Walkout on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shootings. Having these events will hopefully encourage people to open up and say ideas/suggestions and make the world a much safer place.

Photo taken by: Everytown