OC Holds Several March For Our Lives Rallies Saturday
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – Students throughout Orange County were taking part Saturday in the national March for Our Lives movement, calling on lawmakers to approve stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Florida school massacre.
Marches took place in Santa Ana, Brea, Laguna Beach and San Clemente, along with several in Los Angeles County, including one in downtown L.A.
"We're scared our schools are gonna get shot up as well," 6th grader Sierra Reese told CBSLA's Greg Mills.
Sarika Ramalingam recalled watching news reports from Parkland and worrying about her teenage sisters.
"What if they were caught in the crossfire of a school shooting," said Ramalingam.
"Every day in school I live in fear," said Cynthia Gonzales.
Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge-fund manager best known for funding TV commercials calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, joined a gathering at Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana.
Some students had planned to make their way to the office of U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine).
Other events included:
-- A march from Lake Park to Huntington Beach City Hall, 2000 Main St.
-- A gathering in downtown Brea at Brea Boulevard and Birch Street.
-- A rally at Laguna Beach's main beach at 107 S. Coast Highway.
-- A rally at the San Clemente Public Library, 242 Avenida Del Mar.
In solidarity with the students, MoveOn.org planned to have a plane fly over Huntington Beach carrying a banner with a message critical of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach). The banner read "Rep. Rohrabacher: Vote 4 Kids, Not NRA."
The Orange County events are among more than 800 rallies taking place across the country. Thousands of people were also gathering in downtown L.A., Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Burbank, Pico Rivera, Long Beach and Santa Clarita.
Organizers of the nationwide march are calling on politicians to find a solution to gun violence and mass shootings in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people died.
A few miles away the NRA was recruiting new members at the Orange County Gun Show.
People at the rally called for gun control. A federal ban of assault weapons. A different take at the gun show.
"An assault is an act. It's not a weapon. That's my beliefs," said Michael Casas.
Casas was at the gun show Saturday with his son. He and others at the gun show want students protected with police at each school.
As for calls for changing gun laws or banning some guns, gun show attendee Jennifer Strayer said that "the gun-safe zones are where the incidents keep happening so obviously banning things is not working."
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