Students in the D.C. area walked out of class Friday morning as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence. The action comes on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.
National organizers said walkouts were planned in every state.
Locally, students gathered outside the White House at about 10 a.m. They held signs and read the names of the Columbine victims. Then, they marched toward the Capitol chanting "Enough is enough," "Our blood, your hands" and "We will vote."
The students were set to hand-deliver letters to lawmakers and rally for new gun laws outside the U.S. Capitol.
Expect rolling road closures near Pennsylvania Avenue. The @DCPoliceTraffic Twitter alert is sharing traffic updates.
At Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, students placed T-shirts on fencing in honor of gun violence victims and in support of the walkouts.
In Virginia, students planned to host a voter registration drive on Brown's Island in Richmond and then march to the State Capitol for a rally that was set to include Gov. Ralph Northam and state legislators.
Student organizer Maxwell Nardi said the students hope to work with lawmakers to "create a unified message that we're going to fight this together."
HAPPENING NOW: Students read the names of those killed in #Columbine. They’ve staged a walkout on this 19th anniversary. #NBC4DC pic.twitter.com/ZpfaI4W35U
— Nicole Jacobs (@NicoleJacobsTV) April 20, 2018
HAPPENING NOW: Students gather at Lafayette Park to stand against gun violence on this 19th anniversary of #Columbine #NBC4DC pic.twitter.com/ZpmhlWsUY2
— Nicole Jacobs (@NicoleJacobsTV) April 20, 2018
Students nationwide participated in walkouts on March 14, a month after the Parkland shooting. Ten days later, hundreds of thousands of teens and their supporters rallied across the U.S. during March for Our Lives events.
