On March 24, 2018, Parkland students organized and planned to take their movement to the next level by marching to the Capitol to demand tough gun laws.

After a nationwide protest on March 14, students decided to march on Washington to make politicians more aware of the problem in America. According to The Washington Post,  the March For Our Lives showcased impassioned teens calling on Congress to enact stricter gun-control laws to end the nation’s two-decade stretch of campus shootings.” Funded by supporting celebrities, the students fought and did all they could in hope of change by Congress.

During the protest, supporting celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Lin-Manuel Miranda (also known as “the ‘Hamilton’ star”) performed in hope of grabbing the attention of politicians and leaders says the New York Times. Several students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and other teens whose families and friends had been a victim of gun violence also made speeches on their experience and need for change in legislation. The face of the movement, senior Emma Gonzalez, made a six minute and 20-second speech about what happened during the shooting at her school. She left the stage with her resounding statement, “‘fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.'”

There were many other sibling protest that also went on during the day fighting for the same problem. According to CNN News, there were “more than 800 sister marches were held across the country, from Boston to Los Angeles, and around the world.” The protests took place in major cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. There were also protests in other countries such as Spain and Australia and according to the National Geographic News, there was even one in Antarctica.

However, while this powerful movement was taking place, the National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized and attacked the purpose of the march. According to a news story on CNN, On Thursday evening, NRA TV posted a clip on its YouTube channel entitled “A March for Their Lies.” In the video, the host addressed the Parkland students and said that if their friends hadn’t died, “no one would know your names.” The organization also posted a video on Saturday on Facebook saying “‘Today’s protests aren’t spontaneous. Gun-hating billionaires and Hollywood elites are manipulating and exploiting children as part of their plan to DESTROY the Second Amendment and strip us of our right to defend ourselves and our loved ones.'” The NRA also constantly talked about how these students were using their first amendment to void the right of the NRA and gun supporters to the second amendment. Nevertheless, these negative comments did not stop students from protesting.

Students had similar opinions and seemed like they agreed with the purpose of the march. Freshman Marcus Thomas said, ” I think this is good that teenagers are taking action to solve a big problem in our country.” Another student, sophomore Kennedy Micheal, said that “these students are doing the right thing by fighting against these people who don’t care about anything but themselves and trying to make our schools safer.” Sophomore Alex Goldstein said, “Our generation is standing up to the older generation and showing them that what they are doing is wrong…I think that is a good sign for the future.”

After this powerful and bold protest for improved gun legislation, Congress must make the decision to either ignore the movement or to take action to address this problem in America.