The nationwide action comes after 17 people were killed in a gun rampage at a Florida school last Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENTStudents in the US are planning a march on Washington and a national walkout to protest over the country’s gun laws.
Youngsters from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — where a former student is accused of murdering 17 people in a rampage last Wednesday (February 14) — joined others on social media to organise the events.
They include a march in Washington and other cities on March 24 to demand gun control and safer schools.
There is also a national walkout planned for March 14. Students, staff and parents are being urged to quit schools for 17 minutes at 10am.
“Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school,” wrote organisers.
“Parents have the right to send their kids to school in the mornings and see them home alive at the end of the day.”
On April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, another national walkout is planned. Organisers of the April 20 walkout noted the different dates of protest, but said: "There may be different dates but this is one movement!"
British comedian John Oliver used his Last Week Tonight show to deliver a passionate monologue on the Florida shooting.
He said students have broken the normally cyclical reaction to shootings in the US.