Crowds of people hold signs on Pennsylvania Avenue at the “March for Our Lives” rally, March 24, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)

Summoned by high school students swept up in school violence, thousands swarmed into the nation’s capital and cities across America on Saturday to march for gun control and ignite political activism among the young.

Bearing signs reading “We Are the Change,” ″No More Silence,” ″Keep NRA Money Out of Politics,” protesters lined Pennsylvania Avenue from the stage near the Capitol, stretching back toward the White House. The route also takes in the Trump International Hotel. 

After the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students have tapped into a current of pro-gun control sentiment that has been building for years — yet still faces a powerful counterpoint from supporters of gun rights. 

Organizers hope the passions of the crowds and the under-18 roster of speakers will translate into a tipping point starting in the midterm elections this year.

Steven Rothman, left, and Dan Knorowski attend the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control in Washington, Saturday, March 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Crowds of people hold signs on Pennsylvania Avenue at the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control, Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)