i'm not here for the crowds, as great as you all are. for the fame or for the fun. i'm here on this stage today and working everyday for my 17 fellow eagles pronounced dead because of gunfire, and for the many more whose lives were irreparably change because of it. i think, i hope, that this is why we're all here. this is more than a march, more than an event and then moving on. this is not a publicity stunt, a single day in the span of history. this is a movement relying on the persistence and passion of its people. [ cheers and applause ] we cannot move on. if we move on, the nra and those against us will win. they want us to forget. they want our voices to be silenced. and they want to retreat into the shadows where they can

remain unnoticed. they want to be back on top, unquestioned in their corruption. but we cannot and will not let that happen. [ cheers and applause ] today and everyd day, we will continue to fight for those things that are right. we will continue to fight for common sense. we will continue to fight for our lives. we will continue to fight for our dead friends. there will be no faltering, no pauses in our cause. every moment will be dedicated to those pieces of legislation. every march, every meeting, every moment, all for that assault weapons ban to keep these weapons out of the hands of civilians who do not need them. a or for the prohibition of high magazines, because no hunter will need access to magazines that can kill 17 people in mere

minutes. for the closing of loopholes. there are so many things, so many steps to take, like right now. sign our petition. it takes two seconds and it matters. we will take the big and we will take the small. but we will keep fighting. when they give us that inch, that bump stock ban, we will take a mile. we're not here for breadcrumbs. we're here for real change. we are here to lead. we are here to call out every single politician, to force them into enacting this legislation, to addressing this legislation, to doing more than a simple band-aid on a broken bone. the pressure is on for every person in power. it will stay that way. because they know what is coming. they know that if there is no assault weapons ban passed, then we will vote them out. they know that if there is no tightening of the background checks, we will vote them out.

they know that if there is no shrinking of magazine capacity, then we will vote them out. if they continue to ignore us, to only pretend to listen, then we will take action where it counts. we will take action every day, in every way, until they simply cannot ignore us anymore. today we march, we fight, we roar. we prepare our signs. we raise them high. we know what we want. we know how to get it. and we're not waiting any longer. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> kerry sanders is down in it. kerry? >> reporter: well, that was delaney tarr. she's a senior at marjory stoneman douglas, 17 years old, incredibly poised.

she along with 17 other students in her class the day of the shooting went into hiding, unsure what was going on on-campus. you heard her very well-delivered speech. she is well-known at her school, because besides being one of the student journalists, she's the anchor on the in-house school television system. so very well-spoken. the first person we heard from there was cameron kasky, an actor at the school, somebody who is involved in debate, somebody who found himself thrust into this position where he is speaking along with others for their generation, something known as generation x. when the shooting happened on campus, cameron was concerned about his younger brother holden. his younger brother holden has autism and he was able to make his way to the classroom where holden was along with other students. and cameron went in there with a bunch of confused students who

have autism and other emotional problems. and he was able to calm them down as he hugged his brother and others and was on the floor. and then finally between the two speakers, we heard that powerful speech from chicago. i met another young man who traveled here with that ung wyo man, keshon newman lost his brother to gun violence in chicago. he carries around on his phone something i did not know existed. he has an app on this phone and that app updates every four hours. and it gives the tally of gun victims in his community so that he can see what the numbers are, 110 for the month of march. when you consider that a student after losing a brother is look at the possibility of the statistics, you realize how dire this is, brian. >> incredible that the world of electronics and computers has to invent a workaround for

something as heinous as that. demi lovato has just started performing. let's sample some of that. ♪ never had a chance ♪ do you have to make me feel like there's nothing left of me ♪ ♪ you can take everything i have ♪ ♪ you can break everything i am ♪ ♪ like i'm made of glass, like i'm made of paper ♪ ♪ and go on and try to tear me down ♪ ♪ i will be rising from the ground ♪ ♪ like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper ♪ ♪

♪ as the smoke clears, i awaken ♪ ♪ and untangle you from me ♪ would it make you feel better ♪ ♪ to watch me while i bleed ♪ all my windows still are broken but i'm standing on my feet ♪ ♪ you can take everything i have ♪ ♪ you can break everything i am ♪ ♪ like i'm made of glass, like i'm made of paper ♪ ♪ ♪ and go on and try to tear me down ♪ ♪ i will be rising from the ground ♪ ♪ like a skyscraper, like a

skyscraper ♪ ♪ go run, run, run, i'm going to stay right here ♪ ♪ watch you disappear ♪ yeah, go run, run, run ♪ it's a long way down ♪ but i am closer to the clouds up here ♪ ♪ you can take everything i have ♪ ♪ you can break everything i am ♪ ♪ like i'm made of glass, like i'm made of paper, oh, oh ♪ ♪ go on and try to tear me down ♪ ♪ i will be rising from the ground ♪ ♪ like a skyscraper, like a

skyscraper ♪ ♪ like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper ♪ ♪ like a skyscraper >> stay strong! thank you. >> jacob soboroff is standing by in the crowd, after demi lovato's voice was heard throughout everied into and cranny of this city. jacob? >> reporter: brian, seven tenths

of a mile away from that stage, we're with jocelyn garcia, representing the oldest and biggest student association in this country, so big, so old, such a legacy that they worked for dr. king to organize sit-ins at lunch counters. jocelyn, i say this respectfu y respectfully, you don't have much of an entourage, you didn't have to do much to get the students to show up today. >> not me personally, because students understand their rights, they understand there is power in numbers. they're not just naive people who don't understand how things work. students have power. and they wanted to come here to demonstrate their power. they knew they'll be able to create policy and change and not have to sit with prayers and thoughts. >> reporter: where does gun control, gun reform fall into the list of things that you think should be important to students? you've spent time focusing on

tuition, you work on daca. where does gun control play into all this? >> we believe in education justice. we believe anyone, no matter what your identity or background, should have the right to an education. you being able to feel on your campus is a part of that education justice. you being able to prosper in life after education involves you being alive. >> reporter: cameron kasky mentioned it, these young people will get out to vote. it's no secret to you that millenials have now passed baby boomers as the largest voting bloc in this country. do you think this will go from marching on the streets to marching to the voting booths? >> absolutely. ours and other organizations will ensure that that is possible. there are barriers that prevent students and other communities from voting. our organizations will be ensuring that students have access to cast votes. >> reporter: before we go, what is it like to be out here? this is unbelievable.

>> it's amazing. you know, i'm out here and i'm processing everything. >> reporter: let me hold you here. brian, i'll send it back to you so we can go back up to the stage. >> we don't want to cut off any voices in the crowd except for those voices on the stage. so we'll go back up to the event. >> it comes out to $1.05. is that all we're worth to these politicians? $1.05? would $17.85, was that all it cost you that day, mr. rubio? i say one life is worth more than all the guns in america. [ cheers and applause ] this is not a red versus blue issue. this is a morals issue. and to the politicians that believe that their right to own a gun comes before our lives,

get ready to get voted out by us. the future. we will not allow a price to be put upon our lives. we will no longer be hunted down and treated like prey by politicians who simply just don't care about us. we are fighting. we have been fighting. we've been fighting since columbine, since sandy hook, since pulse, since las vegas. and we will continue to fight. until we put a stop to gun violence in america. [ cheers and applause ] because we are no longer a statistic in this country. we will not be treated like a statistic in this country. my school, pulse, every other

mass shooting, will no longer be a statistic, because we're going to put an end to those statistics. and we will never stop fighting. thank you. [ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chanting ] [ crowd chanting "vote them out" ] >> my name is edna chavez and i

am from south los angeles, california. [ speaking in spanish ] i am a 17-year-old senior and a member of an organization called community coalition, where i am a youth leader at south central youth empowered through action. at community coalition, we organize high school students to develop their leadership skills in order to push for educational justice in our communities. that's why i got involved. i wanted to impact policies and make sure our voices are heard. i am a youth leader. i am a survivor.

i have lived in south l.a. my entire life and have lost many loved ones to gun violence. this is normal. normal to the point that i've learned to duck from bullets before i learned how to read. [ cheers and applause ] my brother. he was in high school when he passed away. it was a day like any other day. sunset going down on south central. you hear pops thinking they're fireworks. they weren't pops. you see your brother's skin turn gray. ricardo was his name.

can you all say it with me? [ crowd chanting "ricardo" ] i lost more than my brother that day. i lost my hero. i also lost my mother, my sister, and myself to that trauma and that anxiety. if the bullet did not kill me, the anxiety and the trauma will. i carry that trauma everywhere i go. i carry it with me in school, in

class. walking home. and visiting loved ones. and i am not alone in this experience. for decades, my community of south los angeles has become accustomed to this violence. it is normal to see candles. it is normal to see posters. it is normal to see balloons. it is normal to see flowers honoring the lives of black and brown youth that have lost their lives to a bullet. how can we copy with it when our school district has its own police department? instead of making black and brown students feel safe, they continue to profile and criminalize us. [ cheers and applause ]

instead, we should have a department specializing in restorative justice. we need to tackle the root causes of the issues we face and come to an understanding on how to resolve them. i am here to honor the florida students that lost their lives. and to stand with the parkland students. i am here today to honor ricardo. i am here today to honor stephon clark. i am here today to uplift my south l.a. community. [ cheers and applause ] enough is enough. question. how many more children have to

die so that this problem is finally acknowledged? policymakers, listen up. army teachers -- arming teachers will not work. more security in our schools does not work. zero tolerance policies do not work. they make us feel like criminals. we should feel empowered and supported in our schools. instead of funding these policies, fund mentorship programs. mental health resources. paid internship and job opportunities. my brother, like many others, would have benefitted from this.

so let's make it happen. it's important to work with people that are impacted by these issues. the people you represent. we need to focus on changing the conditions that foster violence and trauma. and that's how we will transform our communities and uplift our voices. this has not and shall not stop us. it has only empowered us. my name is edna lizbet chavez. remember my name. remember these faces.

remember us. and how we're making a change. [ speaking in spanish ] . [ crowd chanting ] [ cheers and applause ] >> my name is alex wind. i'm a junior at marjory stoneman douglas high school. in the wake of the tragedy on february 14th, we as students, as youth, decided that if adults weren't going to take action, we would.

no gun-related legislation has been passed in this country since 2008. ten years ago. since 2008, there have been at least 95 mass shootings in this country and hundreds and thousands more, just senseless violence on the cities of our nation and cities like miami, chicago, and baltimore. it needs to stop. [ cheers and applause ] people believe that the youth of this country are insignificant. people believe that the youths have no choice. when joan of arc fought back english forces, she was 17 years old. when mozart wrote his first symphony he was 8 years old. to those people that tell us that teenagers can't do anything, i say that we were the only people that could have made this movement possible.

together we will use our voices to make sure that our schools, churches, movie theaters, and concerts, and our streets, become safer without having them feel like prisons. if teachers start packing heat, are they going to arm our pastors, ministers, and rabbis? will they arm the guy selling tickets at the movie theater? this is what the national rifle association wants. and we will not stand for it. [ cheers and applause ] we do not need metal detectors and more weapons in our streets if there weren't weapons of war in the hands of civilians. for too long our government has been useless on this issue. our job as their constituents is to make sure we know what they're thinking. there are over 250 representatives that have not

come out with a public stance on this issue. it is our job to make sure that we call them up and force them out of the shadows of corruption and into the light of justice. [ cheers and applause ] as teens, people think that we don't like to wait around for things. and they're sometimes right. a lot of you are probably wondering, what now? now we need to come together on all fronts and push aside those that divide us. now we need to get on the phone and call our representatives and push them to stop incumbency and take action. now we need to educate ourselves on which politicians are truly working for the people and which ones we want to vote out. because at the end of the day, bullets do not discriminate. so why should we? it is not about your race. it is not about your sexual orientation. it is not about your ethnicity.

it is not about your gender. it is not about where you live or how much money you make and it most certainly is not about political party. all it comes down to is life or death. to all the politicians out there, if you take money from the nra, you have chosen death. if you have not expressed to your constituencies a public stance on this issue, you have chosen death. if you do not stand with us by saying we need to pass common sense gun legislation, you have chosen death. and none of the millions of people marching in this country today will stop until they see those against us out of office. because we choose life. [ cheers and applause ] thank you. i love you all. >> to our viewers, just a note. they're pausing here to play some videos. and when they do, we're talking

to our friends here with us in washington. reverend al sharpton. and we've now been joined by chris matthews here onstage. chris, i heard you on your broadcast say last night that you've always urged people to come to this city to see what their tax dollars have purchased. but today takes on even more importance. >> yeah, i think -- i always say that working families and middle class families should come to washington on vacation, because you already paid for it. all these museums and monuments, it's a pretty inexpensive family trip and a great way to learn about your country. you also have a right under the constitution to petition, to go to congress and make your case. what i love about this today, my last big rally, by the way, brian, was 1967, the march on the pentagon, 51 years ago, pretty scary. it was anti-war.

everybody jumped on to it and used it, everybody had their kiosks, their card tables. this one is really about guns. it's really not exploitive. these kids are concerned about safety and guns and it's a very pure, i think, demonstration of numbers. we may get a million people here today. i've never seen crowds pouring out of union station like i saw an hour ago. >> it's incredible, the sea of people. al sharpton, i'm told the next performance is lin-manuel miranda of "hamilton," a new yorker here in washington. let's listen in. ♪ they'll tell the story of tonight ♪ ♪ they'll tell the story of opportunity ♪

>> have you ever felt like nobody was there ♪ ♪ have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere ♪ ♪ have you ever felt like you could disappear, like you could fall and no one would hear ♪ ♪ well, let that lonely feeling wash away ♪ ♪ maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay ♪ ♪ if you don't feel strong enough to stand ♪ ♪ you can reach, reach at your hand ♪ raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away ♪ ♪ no matter what they tell you ♪ someone will come running to take you home ♪

♪ raise a glass to all of us ♪ tomorrow there will be more of us ♪ ♪ telling the story of tonight ♪ telling the story of tonight ♪ it's only a matter of time ♪ even when the dark comes crashing through ♪ ♪ when you need a friend to carry you ♪ ♪ when you're broken on the ground, you will be found ♪ ♪ so let the sun come streaming in ♪ ♪ reach up and you'll rise again if you'll only look around ♪ ♪ you will be found ♪ when our children tell their stories ♪ ♪ they'll tell the story of tonight ♪