From Washington to Los Angeles, students walked out of US classrooms Wednesday in the largest grassroots protest against gun violence seen in years, demanding action one month to the day after a deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school.

Hundreds of teenagers from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House, holding up signs reading &quot;Books Not Bullets&quot; and &quot;Protect People Not Guns&quot; before marching on the US Capitol.

&quot;We want to show Congress and politicians we are not standing by, we are not silent anymore,&quot; said 17-year-old Brenna Levitan, who was at the protest with her mother.&nbsp;

&quot;Parkland is going to be the last school shooting.&quot;

Students in dozens of other cities in all 50 states staged similar demonstrations and observed a moment of silence to honor the 14 students and three adult staff killed a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

In Washington, several hours after the protests broke up, US lawmakers took their first significant step to address school gun violence since the Parkland shooting.

The House of Representatives voted 407-10 to fund violence prevention measures at schools including boosting security, mental health screening and creating anonymous reporting systems so students can report threats.

But Congress has yet to tackle the more controversial aspects of gun control demanded in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

These include expanded background checks for gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age for some firearms purchases.

We want change

Dressed in the school&#39;s maroon colors, students at Stoneman Douglas visited memorials to their slain classmates and hugged and cried.

At a high school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, students marched to the football field and assembled in a heart formation to pay tribute to the victims.

In Los Angeles and other cities, teenagers spelled out the protest slogan &quot;#ENOUGH&quot; by lying down on the ground on sports fields.

In Washington, students were joined by Democratic members of Congress at the Capitol.

Speakers denounced the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby, and demanded that Congress enact tougher laws on gun ownership.

&quot;You, the young people of this country, are leading the nation,&quot; Senator Bernie Sanders told the crowd.

&quot;People are sick and tired of gun violence and the time is now for all of us, together, to stand up to the NRA.&quot;

In New York, students -- many of whom wore orange, the color of gun control -- walked out from more than 50 schools.

&quot;We want change,&quot; and &quot;Am I next?&quot; they chanted.

The &quot;National School Walkout&quot; was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim.

But tens of thousands of students around the country decided to skip school entirely and protest instead.

No guns in schools

At the White House, 17-year-old Farah Parmah, who goes to Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, said President Donald Trump&#39;s controversial proposal to arm and train teachers &quot;is just a bad, bad idea.&quot;

&quot;Gun violence has taken way too many lives this year,&quot; said Parmah, who is 17.

&quot;There should be no guns in schools.&quot;

White House spokesman Raj Shah said Trump &quot;shares the students&#39; concerns about school safety.&quot;

The nationwide protest was held one month to the day after Nikolas Cruz, a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas, unleashed a hail of gunfire on his one-time classmates.

Cruz, dressed in a red prison jumpsuit, appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday and a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

His lawyers had said he would plead guilty in exchange for guarantees that he would not face execution, but prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.

Next protest on March 24

The United States has more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually and Stoneman Douglas students have spearheaded a national gun control campaign, helping to force through a new law on age limits for gun purchasers in Florida.

The US public supports tougher gun laws, according to polls, but there is little backing for meaningful reforms in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Trump momentarily signaled support for curbing access to guns, notably by raising the age for purchases from 18 to 21, but now stands accused of bowing to the NRA.

He backed away from supporting age limits on gun purchases -- sending the proposal to a commission on school safety -- as well as from expanded background checks.

Such checks are currently only performed on people buying firearms from licensed gun dealers. Sales online and at gun shows are exempt.

According to the #ENOUGH&quot; campaign, students from more than 3,000 schools nationwide took part in Wednesday&#39;s demonstrations.

Another nationwide student-inspired protest, the March For Our Lives, is to be held on March 24.

Hundreds of teenagers from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House, holding up signs reading 'Books Not Bullets' and 'Protect People Not Guns' before marching on the US Capitol

From Washington to Los Angeles, students walked out of US classrooms Wednesday in the largest grassroots protest against gun violence seen in years, demanding action one month to the day after a deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school. Hundreds of teenagers from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House, holding up signs reading "Books Not Bullets" and "Protect People Not Guns" before marching on the US Capitol. "We want to show Congress and politicians we are not standing by, we are not silent anymore," said 17-year-old Brenna Levitan, who was at the protest with her mother. "Parkland is going to be the last school shooting." Students in dozens of other cities in all 50 states staged similar demonstrations and observed a moment of silence to honor the 14 students and three adult staff killed a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In Washington, several hours after the protests broke up, US lawmakers took their first significant step to address school gun violence since the Parkland shooting. The House of Representatives voted 407-10 to fund violence prevention measures at schools including boosting security, mental health screening and creating anonymous reporting systems so students can report threats. But Congress has yet to tackle the more controversial aspects of gun control demanded in the wake of the Parkland shooting. These include expanded background checks for gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age for some firearms purchases. We want change Dressed in the school's maroon colors, students at Stoneman Douglas visited memorials to their slain classmates and hugged and cried. At a high school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, students marched to the football field and assembled in a heart formation to pay tribute to the victims. In Los Angeles and other cities, teenagers spelled out the protest slogan "#ENOUGH" by lying down on the ground on sports fields. In Washington, students were joined by Democratic members of Congress at the Capitol. Speakers denounced the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby, and demanded that Congress enact tougher laws on gun ownership. "You, the young people of this country, are leading the nation," Senator Bernie Sanders told the crowd. "People are sick and tired of gun violence and the time is now for all of us, together, to stand up to the NRA." In New York, students -- many of whom wore orange, the color of gun control -- walked out from more than 50 schools. "We want change," and "Am I next?" they chanted. The "National School Walkout" was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim. But tens of thousands of students around the country decided to skip school entirely and protest instead. No guns in schools At the White House, 17-year-old Farah Parmah, who goes to Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland, said President Donald Trump's controversial proposal to arm and train teachers "is just a bad, bad idea." "Gun violence has taken way too many lives this year," said Parmah, who is 17. "There should be no guns in schools." White House spokesman Raj Shah said Trump "shares the students' concerns about school safety." The nationwide protest was held one month to the day after Nikolas Cruz, a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas, unleashed a hail of gunfire on his one-time classmates. Cruz, dressed in a red prison jumpsuit, appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday and a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His lawyers had said he would plead guilty in exchange for guarantees that he would not face execution, but prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty. Next protest on March 24 The United States has more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually and Stoneman Douglas students have spearheaded a national gun control campaign, helping to force through a new law on age limits for gun purchasers in Florida. The US public supports tougher gun laws, according to polls, but there is little backing for meaningful reforms in the Republican-controlled Congress. Trump momentarily signaled support for curbing access to guns, notably by raising the age for purchases from 18 to 21, but now stands accused of bowing to the NRA. He backed away from supporting age limits on gun purchases -- sending the proposal to a commission on school safety -- as well as from expanded background checks. Such checks are currently only performed on people buying firearms from licensed gun dealers. Sales online and at gun shows are exempt. According to the #ENOUGH" campaign, students from more than 3,000 schools nationwide took part in Wednesday's demonstrations. Another nationwide student-inspired protest, the March For Our Lives, is to be held on March 24.

'#ENOUGH': US students stage walkout against gun violence

Students across the United States walked out of classes on Wednesday in a nationwide call for action against gun violence following the shooting deaths last month at a Florida high school.

Hundreds of students from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House chanting &quot;Never again!&quot; and &quot;Enough is enough!&quot; and holding signs reading &quot;Protect People Not Guns.&quot;

At 10:00 am (1400 GMT), students in numerous cities held a moment of silence to honor the 14 students and three adult staff killed on Valentine&#39;s Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.&nbsp;

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The &quot;National School Walkout&quot; was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim.

But it quickly became apparent that many students at schools on the East Coast decided not to go to classes at all and to demonstrate instead.

The nationwide protest is being held one month to the day after Nikolas Cruz, a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas, unleashed a hail of gunfire on his former classmates.

The event to honor those slain at Stoneman Douglas is also an act of protest against the firearms violence plaguing the United States, which has more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually.

Organizers come from the same group behind the Women&#39;s March, which saw millions of demonstrators take to the streets in cities across the country in January 2017 to protest Donald Trump&#39;s White House inauguration.

Trump had momentarily signaled support for increasing restrictions on guns, but now stands accused of bowing to the powerful US gun lobby.

Hundreds of students from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House chanting 'Never again!' and 'Enough is enough!' and holding signs reading 'Protect People Not Guns'

Students across the United States walked out of classes on Wednesday in a nationwide call for action against gun violence following the shooting deaths last month at a Florida high school. Hundreds of students from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House chanting "Never again!" and "Enough is enough!" and holding signs reading "Protect People Not Guns." At 10:00 am (1400 GMT), students in numerous cities held a moment of silence to honor the 14 students and three adult staff killed on Valentine's Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The 'National School Walkout' was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim × The "National School Walkout" was intended to last for 17 minutes, one for each victim. But it quickly became apparent that many students at schools on the East Coast decided not to go to classes at all and to demonstrate instead. The nationwide protest is being held one month to the day after Nikolas Cruz, a troubled 19-year-old former student at Stoneman Douglas, unleashed a hail of gunfire on his former classmates. The event to honor those slain at Stoneman Douglas is also an act of protest against the firearms violence plaguing the United States, which has more than 30,000 gun-related deaths annually. Organizers come from the same group behind the Women's March, which saw millions of demonstrators take to the streets in cities across the country in January 2017 to protest Donald Trump's White House inauguration. Trump had momentarily signaled support for increasing restrictions on guns, but now stands accused of bowing to the powerful US gun lobby.

'Never again!': Students across US walk out of classrooms against gun violence

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'#ENOUGH': US students stage walkout against gun violence

'Never again!': Students across US walk out of classrooms against gun violence