Thousands gather in Tampa, St. Pete for 'March for Our Lives'

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From downtown Tampa, to the streets of Saint Petersburg, thousands of students, and people of all ages were raising their voices and marching for change in gun control. 

“It’s not just what’s going on, it’s what the government isn’t doing to stop it," Tampa Student Isabella Marchese said. "Because it keeps happening time and time again, and frankly we’re sick of it.”

Stoneman Douglas High School Junior Susana Matta Valdivieso survived the shooting in Parkland, and knew the school shooter Nicholas Cruz. She says she’s humbled by the support. 

“It feels amazing seeing the support from everybody, because gun violence doesn’t discriminate," Valdivieso said. "Gun violence can affect absolutely anybody, at any point in their life.”

The majority of the students marching don’t have a personal connection to a school shooting victim, but they tell us, it is personal, and they don’t want to become yet another name.

“A lot of students have been affected in just their morale when they go to school, and the type of environment that they have to learn in," Tampa student Murzia Sibdiqui said. "While obviously there are students who have been affected very personally by actually going through the school shooting, that secondary personalized affect is just the toxic environment at every school in America.”

One man present at the rally was marching to the beat of a different drum. Chris McNeill says rallies like these are a threat to the second amendment.

“They’re not education about the constitution, the second amendment, and they’re not educated about guns," McNeill said. "I totally respect the constitution and your freedom of speech to be out here to say so, but I don’t respect your right to try to take something away from the rest of us."

He says an open line of communication is key to solving this problem.

"What I would like to happen is to have common sense people to be able to sit down and talk."