'March for Our Lives' protest led by students in Everett

EVERETT, Wash. - A crowd of more than 300 took to the streets in Everett on Saturday, calling on lawmakers to put a stop to gun violence. 

The March for Our Lives protest in Snohomish County was part of a larger movement this weekend to demand better protections against mass shootings. 

Young students marched alongside adults at the event. They say politicians aren't doing enough to protect young people from the growing threat of gun violence. 

"There’s a lot of people losing their lives that shouldn’t be, because they didn’t want to," said Owen Wyles, a young student. "It’s people just basically just taking control of other people’s lives, and it’s just sad." 

Owens held a sign quoting ‘The Lorax’ during the march. It read, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot… nothing's going to get better… it's not."

"I just think that the politicians aren’t listening to the students and aren’t doing enough to protect us," said Connery Glans, an Everett Community College student and local march organizer. "We shouldn’t have to be in fear, going to school, and doing active shooter drills and preparing for an active shooter situation."

Connery organized a similar march in 2018.

"Our children are dying. Our children don’t feel safe in schools," he said. 

The founder of Snohomish County Indivisible said Washington state legislators have made some progress, but more needs to be done.

"We are moving forward with common sense legislation," said Naomi Dietrich, Founder & Lead Organizer of Snohomish County Indivisible. "What is important to understand, we are one election away from not having those regulations. Because, if we don’t keep those elected officials in place or laws in place, they will go away." 

Representative Rick Larsen said at Saturday's rally that the US House just passed gun reform legislation nationally. He says it's now the Senate's turn to act. 

"The majority of the US House of Representatives this last week passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, which will raise the age limit to own a semi-automatic from 18 to 21," said Larsen. "The House passed a red flag law, now it’s the senate’s turn."

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Connery says student organizers will hold more marches and rallies until lawmakers listen.

"We will hold as many as we have to," said Connery. "We don’t like having to hold these, but until this nation ends gun violence, stops school shootings, we will continue to show up and speak out."