Students protest gun violence outside of the White House

Washington, D.C., area students on Monday staged protests against gun violence outside of the White House just days after 17 people were killed in a shooting at a South Florida high school.

Numerous students took part in a “lie-in” on the road outside of the White House, laying on the ground for three minutes at a time in an effort to symbolize the short amount of time it took alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz to gun down numerous people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last week. 

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Cruz was arrested shortly after the attack and has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. 

Since the shooting, students have been some of the most vocal advocates calling for action on the issue of gun violence in the U.S. 

Thousands gathered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Saturday to mourn those who were killed in the shooting and to call for restricted access to firearms.

Students also appeared on television throughout the weekend to call for an organized march in an effort to hold lawmakers accountable.

“The people in the government who are voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and our parents to call ‘B.S.,’ ” Emma Gonzalez, a student at the school, said. “We are prepared to call ‘B.S.’ “