Thousands march in U.S. for stronger gun-control laws

People take part in the "March for Our Lives" rally in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 24, 2018. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. on Saturday for the "March for Our Lives" gun control rally, demanding the end of gun violence and mass school shootings. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

LOS ANGELES, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday in southern California in solidarity with the Florida high school mass shooting, as part of a series of student-led marches for stronger gun control laws across the United States.

It was the latest display of frustration by students with the national debate on gun control.

In Los Angeles, students and demonstrators lined up near City Hall, where students, celebrities and local politicians raised their voices to put an end to the cycle of school shootings.

Protesters held banners and signs that read "Protect Kids Not Guns" and "Arms Are For Hugging", chanting "Hey NRA, how many kids did you kill today?"

The NRA refers to the pro-gun group of the National Rifle Association.

The call-and-response chants rippled through the crowd of thousands of students, parents and grandparents and echoed off the historic buildings of Broadway's theater district.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was one of the first speakers. He began by leading the crowd in a call and response: "Whose streets?" he said, and the crowd roared "Our streets!" "Whose lives?" "Our lives!" "Whose nation?" "Our nation!"

The mayor welcomed "our leaders, the students who are here today" and told them "today will be written in the history books that your children will read."

He pointed to California's bans on assault rifles, bump stocks and waiting periods on gun sales as a model for federal legislation, and closed with a message for President Donald Trump -- "Get with the program Mr. President, or get the hell out of the way."

Police officers on the scene put the early crowd estimate at more than 40,000. Organizers said they anticipated as many as 200,000 people.

Trump's supporters and the National Rifle Association staged a counter-protest at LAPD headquarters in downtown, holding signs such as "Defend the right!" and a flag "Don't Tread On Me" flag.

Other marches also took place in Southern California, according to the City News Service.

The events were organized or inspired by some student survivors of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. The carnage was allegedly carried out by a 19-year-old former student who had legally purchased an assault rifle.