Prominent civil rights leader U.S. Rep. John Lewis said the student-led, anti-gun protests across the United States on Saturday remind him of the early days of the civil rights era.
"I think it's amazing,'' Lewis said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"They will be the leaders of the 21st century.''
Lewis joined the "March for Our Lives'' protest in Atlanta, Georgia, one of multiple anti-gun rallies held across the U.S. in response to last month's Florida school shooting and other mass shootings.
The Democrat also implored his Republican colleagues in Congress to "come to the right side'' and to pass meaningful gun-control legislation.
Lewis wore a button with a large red letter "F'' on it, proudly displaying the grade he said he has received from the NRA. Lewis said hundreds of Democratic members of the House were wearing them today.
The White House applauded "the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights'' at gun control marches in Washington and in cities around the nation.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said "keeping our children safe is a top priority'' of President Donald Trump and points to his calls on Congress to pass legislation related to expanded background checks and school safety.
Trump is at his Florida home for the weekend.
His motorcade took him to his West Palm Beach golf club on Saturday morning as hundreds of thousands of people were preparing for marches after the deadly mass shooting in Parkland, Florida.
The president has ordered the Justice Department to ban bump stock devices that enable guns to fire like automatic weapons.
Washington organizers expected a half-million demonstrators in the U-S capital.
A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 69 per cent of respondents and half of Republicans now favour stronger gun control laws.
Activists are looking to channel the energy of this youth-led initiative into the midterm congressional elections this fall with elements like on-site voter registration booths.
-With files from The Associated Press