Students, families and activists from all over the country came together for March For Our Lives Mar. 24. During the march –– organized mainly by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida –– protesters demanded for tighter gun control and protection of students. Speaker and survivor Emma Gonzalez held a moment of silence for the victims of the Parkland shooting for 6 minutes and 20 seconds at the march in Washington D.C.

Most marchers united under one cause: gun control.

“As of this week, I have been making shirts with my friends with the slogan, ‘protect us not guns,’” sophomore and marcher Amanda Morgenthal wrote to the Talon. “For others wanting to make a change, use your voice to stand up and participate in many of the other marches in the future.”

Students express the need for increased security in schools.

“We all want to be safe, and the NRA prevents that from happening by warning their supporters that their rights will be taken away. The majority of the U.S. wants common sense gun laws, and it is just a matter of pushing our government to do it, and keeping the NRA from making more money by selling guns to shooters and people scared of shooters,” junior and marcher Katie Trux wrote to the Talon.

According to Congresswoman Julia Brownley, the change most Americans want to see in the world is going to come from the next generation.

“The young people are everything, you are our voice, you are gonna be the voters of our future. It is because of you and your inspiration that is really moving the needle on this issue. Most importantly you need to stay in this fight until it ends and we have accomplished everything that needs to be accomplished,”  Brownley said.