Dozens of teenagers laid down in front of the White House Monday afternoon for three minutes. That's how long it took a gunman to kill 17 people on Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The teens held a "lie-in" on Presidents Day to demand that President Donald Trump and Congress change gun laws to keep children safe.
The group that organized the protest, Teens for Gun Reform, had called for 17 teens to lie on the ground, representing each victim of the high school shooting. But once those 17 people lay down, many more teens and adults joined them.
Teens Demanding Change in Gun Laws Lie Down Outside White House
Some of the people who laid on the ground closed their eyes. Some crossed their arms over their chests, as if in a casket. At least two of the young people held hands.
Ella Fesler, a 16-year-old high school student in Alexandria, Virginia, said she participated because she was angry and afraid.
"It's really important to express our anger and the importance of finally trying to make a change and having gun control in America," she said.
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"Every day when I say bye to my parents, I do acknowledge the fact that I could never see my parents again," she added.
Two high school juniors, Whitney Bowen and Eleanor Nuechterlein, both 16, helped organize the protest via social media.
"We were completely inspired by the kids from Parkland speaking out," Nuechterlein said.
In a statement, Teens for Gun Reform said, "We call on President Trump and leaders from both parties to finally act in the interest of America’s youth and end these tragic mass shootings! It is imperative that American children are safe in their classrooms, churches, malls, movie theaters and streets!”
During the teens' demonstration, Trump was at his Florida golf club, some 40 miles from the site of the school shooting.
