Thousands of people across the South and Central Coasts are marching in support of gun control as part of the national March for Our Lives movement.
In downtown Ventura on Saturday, a march and rally organized by high school students brought people of all ages to Plaza Park.
Eighteen-year-old Sofia Felino, a student at Santa Barbara City College, says she felt compelled to march.
“I’m just so sick and tired of all of these shootings happening and nobody doing anything about it. Over 20 school shootings have happened in America this year, and it’s only March. That is absolutely ridiculous. This does not happen in other countries, and there’s a reason. And that’s because they have gun control. It works,” she said.
As protestors marched through Ventura, several dozen elderly residents in Thousand Oaks held what they called a “sitting march” since many of them use walkers and couldn’t actually march. These residents gathered outside their senior living facility called The Reserve and held up signs that said “We stand for our great grandchildren” and “Protect lives, not guns.”
89 year old Sally Kinsell helped organize the rally to show solidarity with the younger generation.
“I think that they need support. And I think that they need to know that they have help. The big thing is that 'we vote.' And that’s important to show that we are a group of people who are interested in our future and their future,” she said.
Other March for Our Lives rallies were held in Santa Barbara at De La Guerra Plaza and in San Luis Obispo at Mitchell Park.