BUFFALO N.Y. — Protesters demanded action against gun violence Saturday at March for Our Lives. The effort was orchestrated at the hands of students using social media to gain millions of followers. The marches were in response to the latest school shootings in Florida and Maryland.
Students and others called on Congress to enact stricter gun control laws. Local members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a nationwide anti-gun violence, pro-gun safety organization, were on hand. They say students have ignited a new spark in a movement that's going to grow and affect change.
"Very proud of the students who had the strength and the courage to get up in front of a crowd that huge and speak," said Meghan Connors, of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "These students really seem to be more aware than ever that these actions matter but also their votes are going to matter come November."
Political science leaders at SUNY Buffalo say the number of people under the age of 25 registering to vote is at an all-time high and that the historically low voter turnout may turn around, if the momentum of the movement continues through the fall.