March for Our Lives facts for kids
| Part of Gun politics in the United States and Protests against Donald Trump | |
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| Date | March 24, 2018 |
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| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Type | Demonstration |
| Theme | Gun violence in the United States |
| Cause | Stoneman Douglas High School shooting |
| Organized by | Students attending the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Never Again MSD) |
| Participants |
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The March for Our Lives (MFOL) is a group led by students. They organize protests to support new laws about guns. The first big march happened in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2018. Over 880 similar events took place across the United States and around the world.
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School helped plan the march. This was after a shooting at their school a month earlier. Many people thought this event could change how gun laws are made.
Protesters asked for changes like checking everyone's background before they buy a gun. They also wanted to stop the sale of certain powerful guns and large magazines. Between 1.2 and 2 million people joined the marches in the U.S. This made it one of the biggest protests in American history.
After another school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, MFOL organized another protest. This happened on June 11, 2022, with a main event in Washington, D.C., and many others nationwide.
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Planning the March
Cameron Kasky, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, helped start the march. He and his classmates announced the march on February 18, 2018. This was just four days after the shooting at their school. Other students like Alex Wind, X González, and David Hogg also helped lead the effort. They started the "Never Again" campaign.
The date of March 24 was chosen to give people time to grieve. Then, they could talk about gun laws. Organizers hoped for 500,000 people to attend the main march. They got a permit for Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Extra trains were also planned to help people get there.
A month after the Parkland shooting, students held the Enough! National School Walkout. Students walked out of their classes for 17 minutes. This was one minute for each victim of the shooting. Over 3,000 schools and nearly a million students took part. Many students also gathered in Washington, D.C., facing away from the White House.
Famous People and Companies Help
Many famous people and companies supported the march. George Clooney and his wife, Amal, gave $500,000. They also said they would join the march. Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, also donated $500,000 each. The fashion brand Gucci also gave $500,000.
Other celebrities like Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, and Kanye West also showed their support. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen donated money too. Lyft, a ride-sharing company, offered free rides to people attending the protests. The dating app Bumble banned all images of firearms on their app to support the movement.
John Cena and Millie Bobby Brown praised the March for Our Lives at the 2018 Kids' Choice Awards. The students who started MFOL won an American Ingenuity Award from Smithsonian Magazine.
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The night before the main rally in Washington, D.C., a special prayer service was held. It took place at the Washington National Cathedral. This service remembered victims of gun violence. It also shared the church's belief that "the right to bear arms does not trump the right to life."
Parents of Carmen Schentrup, a 16-year-old killed in the Parkland shooting, spoke at the vigil.
Who Participated?
The March for Our Lives was one of the biggest youth-led protests in a long time. It was similar to protests during the Vietnam War. In Washington, D.C., between 200,000 and 800,000 people joined the main event.
All the speakers at the main event were high school students or younger. They included students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Some of these were Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Delaney Tarr, Sarah Chadwick, Alex Wind, Jaclyn Corin, Ryan Deitsch, Aalayah Eastmond, Samantha Fuentes, and X González.
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X González gave a very powerful speech. They named each of the seventeen victims. Then, they stood silent for over four minutes. This silence, along with the speech, was praised by many news groups. It was called one of the "most memorable" and "powerful" parts of the day.
Many singers also joined the march in Washington, D.C. These included Ariana Grande, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Miley Cyrus, and Jennifer Hudson. Other famous people like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, George Clooney and Amal Clooney, and Steven Spielberg were also there.
In Los Angeles, celebrities like Laura Dern, Reese Witherspoon, Olivia Wilde, and Lady Gaga participated. In Miami Beach, musicians Flo Rida and Emily Estefan joined the rally.
Actor Matthew McConaughey marched in Austin, Texas. Singer-songwriters like Paul Simon and Brandi Carlile performed at other events.
Many politicians also joined the marches. These included Andrew Yang, Muriel Bowser (Mayor of Washington, D.C.), and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also took part.
Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent a video message to the Washington march.
Responses to the March
National Rifle Association's View
The NRA is a group that supports gun rights. They said the March for Our Lives was "backed by radicals." A fact-checking website called PolitiFact said this claim was "without merit" and "Pants on Fire."
During the march, the NRA posted a video. They said the protests were not real. They claimed "gun-hating billionaires and Hollywood elites" were using children to try and "DESTROY the Second Amendment."
Politicians' Views
Many Democrats supported the marchers. Some even joined the protests. However, few Republicans did. The White House said they "applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their first amendment rights."
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said that many Americans do not support a gun ban. He said they see it as taking away their Second Amendment rights. He asked protesters to find "common ground" with those who have different views.
Former Republican Senator Rick Santorum criticized the Parkland students. He said students should learn how to react to a shooter. He felt they should not ask lawmakers to "solve their problem."
Media Coverage
The New Yorker magazine praised the march leaders. They said the leaders included many different people. They expanded the focus from suburban schools to urban neighborhoods.
A magazine called Reason criticized the march. They said gun violence has gone down a lot in the last 25 years. They also said "mass shootings are not the norm."
On social media, fake pictures of X González were shared. These pictures showed them tearing up a copy of the U.S. Constitution. But the original pictures showed González tearing up a shooting target. Some people defended sharing the fake images as "political satire."
March Locations
The March for Our Lives events happened in many places. There were protests all over the United States and in other countries too.
In the United States
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Washington, D.C.
Many streets in Washington, D.C., were closed for the march. This included areas around the Washington Monument and the United States Capitol. Some marchers gathered near the Trump Hotel. They wanted the government to do more about school safety and gun laws.
Northeast United States
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In Connecticut, marches happened in many cities. These included Hartford and New Haven.
In Maine, protests took place in at least fifteen towns. The biggest one was in Portland.
In Massachusetts, demonstrations were held in Boston at Boston Common. The Boston Police thought about 80,000 people joined this march.
In New Hampshire, marches happened in Concord and Portsmouth. Students organized these events.
In New Jersey, demonstrations were held in cities like Trenton and Newark.
In New York, marches took place in many cities. In New York City, about 200,000 people marched. Paul McCartney joined the protest there. He said it was important to him because his friend John Lennon was killed by gun violence.
In Pennsylvania, marches happened in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Thousands of people gathered at the Rhode Island State House for a march in Providence, Rhode Island.
In Montpelier, Vermont, about 2,500 people protested at the Vermont State House.
Midwest United States
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In Illinois, demonstrations were held in Chicago and Springfield.
A march was planned in Indianapolis, Indiana.
In Iowa, marches were planned in Des Moines and Iowa City.
In Michigan, marches happened in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
In Minnesota, 20,000 people attended a march in Saint Paul.
In Missouri, marches took place in Kansas City and St. Louis. The Kansas City rally had 6,000 people.
In North Dakota, marches happened in Fargo and Bismarck.
In Ohio, there was a rally in Cleveland. In Cincinnati, a rally included a performance with flutes made from shotgun barrels. This was to remember the Parkland victims.
In South Dakota, hundreds joined a march in Sioux Falls.
In Wisconsin, marches were planned in Green Bay and Madison.
In Kansas, demonstrations were planned in Wichita and Topeka.
Southern United States
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In Alabama, marches took place in Birmingham and Mobile. The Birmingham march had over 5,000 people.
In Florida, demonstrations happened in Miami Beach and Orlando. About 35,000 people attended the Orlando march. The city where the shooting happened, Parkland, also had a march.
In Georgia, rallies were held at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta.
In Kentucky, marches were held in Bowling Green and Louisville.
In Louisiana, marches happened in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
In Maryland, students planned a protest in Annapolis. The Mayor of Baltimore helped organize 60 free buses for students to go to the D.C. march.
In North Carolina, marches were held in Asheville and Charlotte.
In Oklahoma, marches happened in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
In South Carolina, marches were held in Charleston and Greenville.
In Tennessee, demonstrations happened in Chattanooga and Nashville.
In Texas, demonstrations were held in Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
In Virginia, a march was planned at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.
Western United States
In Alaska, hundreds of people marched in Anchorage.
In Arizona, marches were held in Phoenix and Tucson.
In California, marches happened in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
In Hawaii, demonstrations were held in Honolulu.
Marches also took place in Denver, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; and Helena, Montana.
In New Mexico, marches were held in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
In Oregon, marches happened in Corvallis and Portland.
In Utah, several marches were planned, including in Salt Lake City.
In Washington, hundreds marched in Spokane. Thousands marched in Seattle.
Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, supported the march. He asked for all citizens to stand together for better gun laws. He said Puerto Rico already has very strict gun laws. The march in San Juan started at Condado Lagoon.
Outside the United States
North America
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In Canada, marches were planned in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.
Protests also took place in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.
Students in Thompson, Manitoba, planned to march.
In Ontario, marches were planned in Ottawa and Toronto.
In Quebec, marches were planned in Montreal and Quebec City.
New Brunswick had a march in Fredericton.
Newfoundland and Labrador planned a march in St. John's.
Africa
Marches were planned in Cairo, Egypt, and in cities in South Africa like Pretoria and Cape Town. Protests also happened in Accra, Ghana, and Mozambique.
Asia
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Parkland shooting survivors spoke at rallies in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israel.
Marches were planned for Shanghai and Hong Kong in China. They also happened in Mumbai and New Delhi, India. Other locations included Tokyo, Japan, and Mingora, Pakistan.
Europe
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Students in Geneva, Switzerland, organized a rally outside the United Nations building. Hundreds of students attended.
In Germany, protests were held in cities like Berlin and Munich. Events also took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, and Barcelona, Spain.
In the United Kingdom, hundreds marched outside the US embassy in London. They also did a "die-in" to show support for the Parkland students. Protests also happened in Belfast and Edinburgh.
International students rallied in Rome, Italy, near the US embassy. They held signs like "Protect People, Not Guns" and "Enough is Enough."
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, hundreds protested near the US consulate.
Oceania
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Marches were planned for Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Sydney in Australia.
New Zealand planned marches in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin.
South America
In Argentina, a march was planned in Buenos Aires.
In Brazil, two marches were planned in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
Other protests took place in Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.
Images for kids
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Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D.C.
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New York City
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San Diego
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Students protest for gun control; the U.S.
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See also
- 2018 United States elections
- Mass shootings in the United States
- Gun politics in the United States
- Student protest
