Hundreds of students walk out of classes in support of gun rights

Hundreds of students walked out of classes across the U.S. on Wednesday to show support for gun rights.

The students were participating in the “Stand for the Second,” a pro-Second Amendment demonstration held in response to the anti-gun violence walkouts at schools over the past couple months, HuffPost reported.

Students planned to walk out of school at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and would observe 16 minutes of silence. That’s one minute less than demonstrators observed during the National School Walkout to protest gun violence, in honor of the 17 people killed during the mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school.

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“We have not ignored the huge movement of our peers against these fundamental human rights and liberties, but the American people must know not all of our generation shares in the shortsighted destruction of our Constitution,” the event’s website read.

@StandSecond everyone out here supporting the cause #StandForTheSecond #standsecond pic.twitter.com/UYFxzEDttV

— Dennis Fiorentinos (@Dennisfior) May 2, 2018

About 100 students in Columbia Falls, Montana are walking out for #StandForTheSecond supporting #2A. #mtnews pic.twitter.com/NSkjuF2MZQ

— Nicky Ouellet (@nickyodoesradio) May 2, 2018

#StandfortheSecond At Moorpark High School over 24 students attended and the local newspaper came pic.twitter.com/xkYKtgFcbr

— Online! (@M16CLUBS) May 2, 2018

Big crowd today at the San Dimas High School Walkout @StandSecond #StandSecond #StandfortheSecond #SecondAmendment pic.twitter.com/DivJZ4d6Vh

— Adam Winters (@AdamWinters76) May 2, 2018

HuffPost noted that participation in Wednesday’s walkout was significantly less than that for the anti-gun violence walkouts, which earned widespread national media attention.

Student survivors of the Parkland mass shooting led an effort to revive a national conversation on gun violence in response to the shooting, and have emerged as vocal advocates for new gun laws.

They also organized the “March for Our Lives” in March, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to the main event in D.C. and to sister rallies throughout the country.