Several dozen high school students from in and around Washington, D.C., staged a ‘lie-in’ demonstration in front of the White House Monday to protest gun violence in schools days after a gunman killed 17 people at a Florida high school.
School psychologist Danielle Short, said she felt compelled to come out following last week’s shooting in her hometown of Parkland.
“We need to stand up to the NRA (National Rifle Association). We need to do what’s right for kids, not guns,” said.
WATCH: Protesters at White House conduct ‘die in’ protest in response to Florida school shooting
Short added that she and her colleagues are on high alert following the shooting.
READ MORE: Family who took in Florida school shooting suspect speaks out
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“I don’t feel safe at work. I feel like we need more mental health people in the buildings, I feel like we need more security, I feel like we need more drills,” Short said.
A high school student from Virginia also took part in the demonstration.
“Every day when I say ‘bye’ to my parents, I do acknowledge the fact that I could never see my parents again,” said 16-year-old Ella Fesler.
“It’s really important to express our anger and the importance of finally trying to make a change and having gun control in America.”
While this protest — and several others around the country — have called for stronger gun control, U.S. President Donald Trump has said the shooter’s actions were purely due to mental health concerns.
WATCH: AJ Henry, a family friend of Parkland shooting victim Gina Montalto spoke to reporters outside her funeral, saying the shooting which took her life left him “totally devastated.”
The suspect in the Parkland shooting, Nikolas Cruz, 19, faces multiple murder charges in the deaths of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and the wounding of more than a dozen others.
— With files from The Associated Press, Global News reporter Maham Abedi