Today, Saturday, Washington and more than 400 cities across the United States witnessed demonstrations to urge lawmakers in Congress to pass a law aimed at curbing armed violence, after weeks of shootings that killed many civilians.

Speakers at the Washington demonstration called to confront the racism of those who believe in the superiority of the white race, and to issue legislation to stop the tragedies of armed violence.

The demonstrators carried banners denouncing the National Rifle Association, one of the most prominent pressure groups against restricting the carrying of guns in the United States.

Earlier today, US President Joe Biden expressed his solidarity with the demonstrators, calling on Congress to pass legislation to reduce the phenomenon of armed violence.

"Today, young people across the country are once again participating, March for Our Lives, to demand that Congress pass sensible gun safety legislation, with the support of the majority of Americans and gun carriers," Biden said in a tweet. ".

Today, young people around the country once again march with @AMarch4OurLives to call on Congress to pass commonsense gun safety legislation supported by the majority of Americans and gun owners.

I join them by repeating my call to Congress: do something.

— President Biden (@POTUS) June 11, 2022

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Washington, Muhammad Al-Ahmad, said that today's demonstrations come after the numerous shooting incidents that took place in areas in the United States, including Texas and New York, last month.

The reporter added that 50,000 people participated in the demonstration organized in Washington, as well as tens of thousands of demonstrators in other American cities, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, who came out to denounce the mass shootings that killed many Americans.

Demonstrators in Washington demanded local officials in the state as well as federal officials, especially members of Congress, to pass a comprehensive law to reform gun ownership laws in the country, to include a ban on assault weapons, raising the legal age of gun ownership from 18 to 21 years, and expanding the scope of operations Monitor arms buyers in the country.

Among the organizers of today's protests is March for Our Lives, which was founded by student survivors of the 2018 massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

message to congress

Today's demonstrations sent a message to congressional legislators that "your inaction is killing Americans."

"We just want to live through high school."


"Am I next?"

America's youth is hurting.

This is our reality.

pic.twitter.com/jqe9nTERr6

— March For Our Lives ☮️ (@AMarch4OurLives) June 11, 2022

Al-Jazeera correspondent stated that there are negotiations within Congress between Republicans and Democrats regarding the issuance of a law imposing restrictions on the possession of weapons, in light of the lack of expectation of a breakthrough in the different positions of the two parties regarding this old and new issue.

Last Wednesday, the Democratic-controlled House passed a comprehensive set of gun safety measures, but there is no chance for the legislation to win approval in the Senate, where Democrats do not have the 60 votes needed to pass the legislation.

Opposition and negotiations

Republicans oppose any restrictions on gun ownership as a violation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which relates to the right to bear arms.


Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats focus on making relatively modest changes, such as incentivizing states to pass gun control laws that would allow authorities to prevent gun ownership by individuals deemed dangerous.

Today's protests come in the wake of a gunman in Yuvaldi, Texas, killing 19 children and two teachers on May 24, 10 days after another gunman killed 10 black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in a racist attack.

The recent mass killings shed new light on the controversy in the country about gun possession and shootings in the United States, and these crimes have claimed the lives of more than 19,300 people since the beginning of 2022, half of them are suicides, according to the Armed Violence Archives.