Graduates of Florida's Stoneman Douglas High School lead UNC rally against gun violence

Several hundred students marched to spread the message that incidents like the shooting that left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School can never happen again.

The students said they want greater gun control and are calling on lawmakers to make the change.

The rally began with a reading of the names of the victims of the Florida shooting.

Niki Wasseman and Lily Skopp both graduated from Douglas in 2017 and are now freshman at UNC-CH. Both knew victims of the shooting.

"Everyone knows everyone, so it's been hard but you know, I've found comfort in just uniting with people from my class and everyone here has been really helpful too," Wasseman said

Skopp and several students on campus have also created an initiative cased “UNC 4 MSD” in an effort to raise money for victims and bring awareness to gun violence.

“I think it’s wonderful. I think that our students at the school have really been leading a movement and I’m so proud of our school for picking this up,” Skopp said.

State Rep. Graig Meyer addressed the crowd, urging students to get more involved in the legislative process if they want to see change.

"You're going to have to speak up, you're going to have to bring about the change that forces politicians to choose safety, to choose gun control," Meyer said.

Congressman David Price also spoke, telling the crowd that, because of them, change is already here.

"There's something different about this time and it has to do with the activism of people like you," he said.

As the lawmakers spoke, students held signs showing their solidarity with the Florida victims and condemning the NRA.

"I don't know what the right answer is at this point, but something definitely needs to be done and I really think that Douglas is going to get something done because we know these students, we know these parents, we know the faculty in that school and they are not going to stop until something changes," Wasseman said.