Dozens of students based in Washington, D.C., staged a “lie in” outside the White House on Monday to show their solidarity with the survivors of the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., who are advocating for gun law reform.
About 17 students initially laid down in front of the executive mansion for three minutes to symbolize the time it took for confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, to kill the same number of people with an AR-style rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, according to CNN.
Students now staging a “die in” in front of White House. Each one quietly walked up, lay down on ground, now lying still. pic.twitter.com/CpVMBRC1SX— Blayne Alexander (@ReporterBlayne) February 19, 2018
More protesters have since joined the demonstration.
The crowd assembled around the protest also took part in a moment of silence before chanting, “Shame on you,” according to other reports.
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Students are continuing to gather in front of the White House for a “lie-in” for gun reform following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida pic.twitter.com/4wkMbC8bkh— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) February 19, 2018
The demonstration followed an announcement Monday morning that said President Trump was open to congressional efforts to enhance the federal background check system for gun purchases.
“While discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered, the president is supportive of efforts to improve the Federal background check system,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The White House did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment about the “lie in.”
