Anti-gun violence marches planned Saturday nationwide, including Sacramento

Thousands are expected to march in Sacramento on Saturday to protest “the normalization of gun violence” and demand that a “comprehensive and effective bill” on gun control be brought before Congress.

March for Our Lives Sacramento is one of more than 800 planned sister marches to the main gathering in Washington, D.C., organized by the survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the march in Washington, which will begin at noon EDT on Pennsylvania Avenue.

“No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country,” organizers said in a news release. “Every kid in this country now goes to school wondering if this day might be their last.”

The Sacramento march will begin at 10 a.m. at Crocker Park, then head to the west steps of the Capitol, where it is expected to conclude about 1 p.m.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, and Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, are among the scheduled speakers. As of Friday, more than 5,000 people have registered for the march through its Eventbrite page, while 3,800 have RSVP’d on Facebook.

Several additional marches are planned across California, including in Placer County, Stockton and more than a dozen in the Bay Area.

This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Anti-gun violence marches planned Saturday nationwide, including Sacramento."