Junior Ting Goodfriend attended the march with her two moms. She said that she felt that students should not be afraid that a school shooting could take place at any moment. “We should be able to go to school and not worry about the possibility of our safety being threatened,” she said. “I am a future voter, and I [am part of] the next generation who will affect who runs our country, and it’s important for me to show what I believe in.” Photo supplied by Goodfriend.

Parents, students and other concerned citizens march from the Austin City Hall to the Capitol on March 24. A crowd full of people from different backgrounds and different lifestyles came together in solidarity to support the American Gun Sense movement. There was also a smaller contingent of counter-protesters who rejected calls for stronger gun control. Photo by Jasmine Barrera.

Senior citizens marched to show students that they’re not alone in their fight for stronger gun control. “I want everyone to feel just a little safer and placing stricter gun laws will do that,” said Elizabeth Byram, who identified herself as a proud mother and grandmother. Photo by Jasmine Barrera.

An estimated crowd of over 10,000 gathered in downtown Austin on March 24 to protest and remember the victims of the recent tragic school shooting in Parkland, Fla. “It’s just awful what happened,” protester Julia Hemsworth said. “A change needs to come. And we’re gonna be the ones to do it, if not force it.” Photo by Tomas Marrero.

Ninth-grader Ella Dart marches on Saturday March 24 for the prevention of gun violence in America. The march started at the City Hall and proceeded to the Austin Capitol for a rally and keynote speakers. “I'm glad there's this many people who care,” Dart said. “I want change.” Photo by Kirsten Pacotti. Thousands of students came out that day (McCallum kids included) to use their voices to voice their opinions on gun violence. Photo by Kirsten Pacotti.

A man in a wheelchair protests for tighter gun control. “I’m just doing my part,” Zach Johnson said. “My disability doesn’t hold me back. I'm still here to speak my mind.” The rallied included over 10,000 protesters and many speakers.

Counter-protester Joshua Schmidt engages in a spirited but civil conversation about gun control with protestor Taylor Cheyene. The two disagreed on much of what they discussed, but came to an agreement on their position against police brutality. “It’s better to have conversations than shout,” Schmidt said. Photo by Sophie Ryland.

Vivian Ballard (second from right) attended the march with with several members of her book club, made up of mothers of Austin students. “We believe that you kids are right; it’s time to stop gun violence,” she said. “I hope that it shows that there a lot of us who feel the same way: gun owners, non-gun-owners, parents of children, we all need to protect the future.” Photo by Sophie Ryland.

Angela Rush with her six-year-old son Trevin, who said that he wants to be the governor when he grows up. “We come to the Capitol a lot, and he’s interested in legislation and how to change it," Rush said. "I’m showing him, this is how we change it.” Photo by Sophie Ryland.

Riku Meddala and his daughter Maiju, who recently moved to Austin from Finland. “I think that you have a great country, filled with a lot of great people," Meddala said, "but this topic is a little bit irrational, and doesn’t make sense, at least coming from Northern Europe.” Photo by Sophie Ryland.

Andrea Barrera-Castro, senior at McCallum High school, holds her sign for the march outside the Capitol as people start to clear the grounds after the speakers. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Melanie Miller with one of the three miniature horses she brought from her petting zoo, all of whom she dressed as unicorns. “I don’t think children should be afraid to be in school,” Miller said. “I didn’t like doing all the drills. It made me nervous. I am hoping that we can get some better gun laws out there. There’s no reason anyone needs a machine gun to protect themselves.” Photo by Sophie Ryland.

Isabella de León and Olivia Heinze shed tears as Jack Haimowitz, a senior from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, shares his story. Photo by Madison Olsen.

At the State Capitol, thousands gathered on March 24 for a citywide rally organized by the March For Our Lives movement. Many had posters advocating for stronger gun regulation following the recent tragic shootings in Parkland Florida. One protester, pictured above, holds up a sign with an image of David Bowie, altering the words to his famous song "Space Oddity" to capture the message of the protest. Since the Columbine Shooting in 1999, the Washington Post reports that "over 187,000 students at 193 schools have experienced a school shooting." The march in Austin was one of hundreds across the country in which hundreds of thousands participated. Photo by Tomas Marrero.

Richard Spencer and Meg Peck march down Congress Ave. towards the Capitol from the march's starting point at City Hall. Photo by Madison Olsen.

At the steps of the Capitol facing the crowd, a group of students ranging from 7 to 17 gathered to lead the crowd in chants, screaming "enough is enough" and "this is what democracy looks like." Photo by Madison Olsen.

Jennifer Sam chants along as the crowd chants "Hey hey, ho ho, the NRA has got to go." Photo by Madison Olsen.

Matthew McConaughey was among the speakers at the #MarchForOurLives, which attracted more than 10,000 to the Capitol on March 24. “This is an American issue," McConaughey said of gun control. "It’s a Texan issue. It’s a legal and law-abiding gun owner issue. It’s a mother issue. It’s a father issue. And, quite literally, this is our children’s issue." McConaughey also said that consensus leading to action should be above politics. “My hope here is that we can find a common ground on what I see as a very much a common-sense issue. This is an issue anchored in purpose for all of us. It’s not anchored in politics." Photo by Madison Olsen.

A crowd of an estimated 20,000 people gathered at the Capitol for the March. Photo by Madison Olsen.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High senior Jack Haimowitz shares an embrace after his emotional speech at #marchforourlives on March 24 at the Texas Capitol in downtown Austin. Haimowitz spoke of the awful Feb. 14 shooting on his campus. "What took place on Valentine's Day not only stripped the students of Douglas of their innocence, but it brutally ripped 17 lives from their homes." He also spoke of the resolve he and his classmates and have found since the shooting. "We are the change we never knew we needed, and we have found the strength that we never knew we were looking for. ... Every day I see people not only wishing for change but refusing to accept anything else." He also pleaded with the audience for unity. "If we ever wish to fully overcome the hatred and fear of a scale such as this, we must unite as Americans regardless of the societal, racial and physical constructs put in place to hinder our unification." Photo by Madison Olsen.