Democrats have embraced the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rallies across the U.S. on Saturday, using the demonstrations as a rallying cry against their political opponents who would stand against stricter gun control laws.
“Today’s march should send a loud message to our leaders in Congress: The level of gun violence in America is not normal. It is not acceptable. And it is not inevitable,” said Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
Perez, who also touted how Democrats are “proud” to join the demonstrations and to “take on the gun lobby,” is overseeing a full-court press by the DNC, whose Twitter account has busy been tweeting links related to the March for Our Lives.
After Parkland, my friend @YasmineTaeb and I wrote a letter to her alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. We promised to work to prevent what happened to them from happening again.
That’s why today, I’m marching to say enough. #MarchforOurLives https://t.co/n9DtxKuPml
— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) March 24, 2018
The epicenter of the demonstrations will be in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend, including students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the high school in Parkland, Fla., where a shooting last month took the lives of 17 people.
One of the leading student survivor voices of the movement, David Hogg, says in a pinned tweet that the debate on gun control is not one “as Democrats and Republicans but discuss this as Americans.”
He said in a tweet Saturday morning, “I’m ready to change America and save lives are you?”, to which Perez tweeted in reply: “I’m ready. Couldn’t be more honored to fight alongside heroes like you at @AMarch4OurLives.”
An array of Democrats in Congress tweeted their support for March for Our Lives, with some of them attending the events.
The time is now! #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/ga1B4Jvauk
— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) March 24, 2018
Among the Democratic ranks taking to the streets today is Eleanor Holmes Norton, Washington, D.C.’s non-voting delegate in the House. She has been targeting Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio for his efforts to repeal the District’s gun laws.
DC residents are marching to tell @marcorubio and @RepTomGarrett to keep their #HandsOffDC gun laws! #RallyforDCLives #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/Am3hCC3MvH
— Eleanor Holmes Norton (@EleanorNorton) March 24, 2018
Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama sent a letter to the Parkland high school students, praising them for helping to “awaken the conscience of the nation.”
Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that the students, who are leading the D.C. march, are “going to win” the fight for gun control and beat the National Rifle Association.
President Trump is out of town while the main march takes place on his doorstep Saturday — he is staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this weekend — but the White House put out a statement saying, “we applaud” the March for Our Lives attendees for “exercising their First Amendment rights.”
