Angry and frustrated Americans joined rallies and marches across the U.S. Saturday to advocate for gun reform in the wake of the back-to-back mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
The nationwide event was organized by March For Our Lives, a group founded by student survivors of the 2018 high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 11, 2022, 1:48 PM EDT
Congresswoman shares personal story surviving gun violence
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., shared a personal story at the Washington, D.C., march, recounting when, as a young adult, she was in a relationship with an abusive partner who owned guns.
"He did not approve of the way I was cooking … we began arguing, he started to hit me. I decided to run out of the apartment," Bush said. "As I ran, I remember thinking to myself, why isn’t he chasing me? … When I turned back for a moment … I heard shots. Shots fired. But I didn’t know if they were aimed at me. Until they started whizzing past my head."
Rep. Cori Bush speaks during the 'March for Our Lives', one of a series of nationwide protests against gun violence, in Washington, D.C., June 11, 2022.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
"That moment of horror, it stays with me," Bush said.
"It's so deeply traumatic and completely preventable," Bush said, referencing the boyfriend loophole, red flag laws and universal background checks.
Bush said, "We will never give up our push to save lives."
Helen Carpenter, 8 1/2 years old, attends "March for Our Lives" rally, one of a series of nationwide protests against gun violence, in New York, June 11, 2022.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters
Jun 11, 2022, 1:26 PM EDT
Parkland dad, survivor take the stage
Manuel Oliver, whose son, 17-year-old, Joaquin was killed in Parkland, said in Washington, D.C., "Our elected officials betrayed us and have avoided the responsibility to end gun violence."
Manuel Oliver, father of Joaquin Oliver, one of the victims of the Parkland shooting, speaks next to his wife and David Hogg, survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida and founder of the March For Our Lives Movement, during the 'March for Our Lives', one of a series of nationwide protests against gun violence, in Washington, D.C., June 11, 2022.
Joshua Roberts/Reuters
He said, "If lawmakers who have the power to keep us safe from gun violence are going to avoid taking action," then he's calling for a nationwide strike of schools, from elementary to college.
"Avoid attending school if your leaders fail … to keep us safe," he said. "Avoid going back to school if President Biden fails to open a White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention so that we can finally give this issue the attention that it deserves."
A girl holds a placard during a "March for our lives" rally for gun control in Parkland, Fla., June 11, 2022.
Marco Bello/Reuters
Oliver appeared on stage with David Hogg, a Parkland survivor and March For Our Lives co-founder, who vowed, "This time is different."
"This is not a political issue -- this is a moral issue," Hogg said.
David Hogg (C), Manuel (R) and Patricia Oliver, parents of Parkland shooting victim, speak on stage during a March for Our Lives rally against gun violence on the National Mall, June 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
He suggested combatting gun violence the way the U.S. addressed cigarettes.
"With cigarettes, we didn’t just change the laws -- we addressed why people want to smoke in the first place," Hogg said. "We have to address how people get guns and why they feel the need to pick them up in the first place. We must address the fact that the reason why communities like Parkland don't have shootings on a daily basis isn't because we necessarily have the strongest laws … we have some of the most resources."
Jun 11, 2022, 1:20 PM EDT
NY AG joins Brooklyn march
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a march in Brooklyn, tweeting, "We will fight every single day until we get the common-sense gun reforms this nation needs to end gun violence and save lives."
Jun 11, 2022, 1:04 PM EDT
DC mayor: Tell your senators 'make change now-- or get out of our way'
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser told D.C. protesters she's frustrated because "we have been here before."
Sara Steed stands with her son, Gideon Steed, 11, during a March for Our Lives rally for gun control in Lansing, Mich., June 11, 2022.
Emily Elconin/Reuters
"We're not asking for a lot. We're asking to drop off our children at school without having to worry that someone will bring an AR-15 into their classroom. We are asking to go to the grocery store without worrying that someone will be shot dead by a gunman who is filled with hate. We are asking to let our children go to the playground without worrying that a car will drive by, firing a high-capacity magazine," the mayor said. "We're done asking. We're demanding change and we're demanding change now."
Participants hold placards during a "March for our lives" rally for gun control in Parkland, Fla., June 11, 2022.
Marco Bello/Reuters
She urged Americans "who share our values to let their senators know that they neither need to make change now-- or get out of our way."
