ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Whether you agree with them or not, there's no denying the stand that tens of thousands of students took nationwide on Wednesday to make their voices heard.
In Florida and across the country, some walked out of class to protest gun violence while others held signs like: "Why punish responsible gun owners for the governments failure to act?"
Many more said that, no matter their position, the day was also about honoring the victims killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one month ago.
But now that the students have spoken, what do the adults think?
"I'm proud of the kids for being active," said Vince Butorac, who was walking with his family and children along the river walk in downtown Tampa. "They're close to voting age and so I think it's something that all politicians on both sides of the aisle need to pay attention to."
Christina Wilson, while walking with her 7-year-old daughter, said the students represent the future of the country and need to be taken seriously.
"We have to look to them and if they don’t have a voice now, how can we actually encourage them to be a part of the future," she said.
But others question the motive of the majority of students who took part in Wednesday's walkouts: A call for stricter gun laws.
"I can understand they don't want gun violence but taking the guns away is not the answer," said Mike Criemer, who admitted he didn't know the absolute answer. "Gun violence is bad but guns aren’t the problem, it’s the people behind them."
It’s wonderful that the kids are getting involved in our political system but they don’t know all the reasons behind it," said Glenn Schultz. "They think they know but they don’t.”
They don’t know why we have guns in this country, Schultz explained.
"It’s to protect us from a tyrannical government," he said. "They need to get a little more educated before they think they’re doing the right thing."
Natasha Torres, a teacher, said she hopes students' increasing interest in activism doesn't just end with this issue.
"It's just the tip of the iceberg for these young adults to be aware of what's going on in the world," Torres said.
"I’m proud of them... now if they would just take it a step further to what else is happening in this world, I would appreciate that a lot.”
Wednesday's nationwide walkouts are only the beginning.
'The March for Our Lives' rally is happening in our nation's capital on March 24. Another round of school walkouts is expected to happen next month to mark 19 years since the Columbine High School shooting.
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