'March for Our Lives': Mass rally in Washington to demand gun control changes

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Hundreds of thousands of protesters are taking to the streets across the US to call for tighter gun control. The "March For Our Lives" movement arose after 17 deaths in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month. As events began to draw a close on the US east coast, they continued on the west, including a major demonstration in Los Angeles. CGTN's Toby Muse has more.

The message from the young survivors of gun violence: our politicians have failed to stop mass shootings in schools. Vote them out, shouted the crowd of hundreds of thousands. They came from across the US for a rally in Washington DC with a simple message - gun control now.

D'ANGELO McDADE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT FROM CHICAGO "I have developed a sense of hopelessness because this happens on the normal basis, an everyday basis. Today, I'm seeking that change in the revitalization that we've been asking for."

The "March For Our Lives" rally was organized by a group of teenage survivors who witnessed the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida in February that left 17 dead. One of the most gripping moments occurred when Emma Gonzalez, a student and survivor of the Parkland massacre, stood on stage and then paused in silence for several minutes- the time it took for the gunman to kill his victims.

The nine-year-old granddaughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King addressed the crowd. She said, like her grandfather, who famously delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" in 1963, that she too has a dream.

YOLANDA RENEE KING GRANDDAUGHTER OF MARTIN LUTHER KING "I have a dream that enough is enough and this should be a gun free world, period."

The mostly young people who came to protest say they are tired of living in fear of the next school shooter.

GRIFFIN VANHILST STUDENT "Recently, there was a lockdownn at my school because of a threat of an active shooter. And I got messages from friends, because I wasn't there saying: please know I love you if I don't get out of here."

Marchers are demanding background checks for all gun purchases and an end to the sale of assault rifles. And they say they'll vote out any politician who gets in their way.

LEANNE TRAVIS STUDENT "It feels different because it's no longer adults speaking on behalf of kids, but we speaking for ourselves. I'm tired of being afraid that when I go to school I may not make it home."

TOBY MUSE WASHINGTON "What feels different is that these teenagers are not playing by the old political rules. They say they are determined to see real gun control passed.

These teenagers face staunch opposition: from powerful interest groups like the National Rifle Association and a president who has so far balked at the prospect of banning assault rifles. But the teenagers here on Saturday say: they're just getting started. Toby Muse, CGTN, Washington."