ST. LOUIS — Thousands rallied on the National Mall and across the country in a renewed push for gun control on Saturday.
St. Louisans also stomped through the streets of downtown Saturday to echo that message.
The movement came after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York.
Brown paper bags sat on the lawn at Kiener Plaza with numbers of the lives lost in the 247 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of 2022.
Words like "enough" and "change" are heavy on the minds of marchers.
"I saw a kid here who looked like she was under 10 and she was holding up a sign that said 'am I next?' and that speaks volumes for itself. So at this point it's like, is our government listening?
“My goodness it's ... it's getting overwhelming because the community steps up,” said Amber Benge, a survivor.
Her trauma traces back to 1997, when a gunman killed two people and injured seven others at her high school in Pearle, Mississippi.
She shared her story so people can know their power.
“Register to vote. And your power -- your superpower -- is your vote. That is is your voice and that is how you make change," Benge said.
Grieving mothers like Latatia Stewart have been to so many rallies this summer.
Her son's case remains unsolved after two years.
"My voice counts and it will help to change the gun laws and protect the citizens, hopefully,” Stewart said.
"Policies such as red flag laws. Waiting periods. So on and so forth. This cannot continue because this system is broken. And who's getting broken? Students as they are shot in their classrooms,” said 12th Ward Alderman Bill Stephens.
This week, the House of Representatives passed the "Protecting our Kids Act", which includes raising the age to buy some semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.
A bipartisan group of senators is now trying to find common ground to push it through.