March for Our Lives Rally sparks conversation on gun control

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Several hundred people filled the steps of Houston City Hall Sunday evening to hear the students who fueled a national conversation on gun control-- the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The school was the scene of a mass shooting that killed 17 people and wounded 17 others.

The appearance was part of the National March for Our Lives tour. Among those who attended was one of the group's co-founders, David Hogg, the Parkland student who recorded students hiding from the shooter in a locked classroom.

"There's a lot (in the country) that we disagree on, but at the end of the day, that's what voting is for," Hogg said. He also met with gun rights supporters who were across the street from the rally, behind a barricade.

After speaking with Hogg, one gun rights supporter said, "You're here and that says something about you. And you came across the street."

The event included volunteers urging people to register to vote and handing out forms. Among them was Santa Fe High School graduate Bree Butler, class of 2018.

Butler was at school on May 18, the day eight students and two teachers were killed. Thirteen others were injured. A former student is charged in the shooting.

"I want this to stop shootings," she said. "If we stop one, we've taken a step forward. There's a lot that can be done to improve background checks and ban bump stocks."

After two hours, the Parkland students and volunteers boarded a bus, continuing on the March's Road to Change. The next stop is San Antonio.

Follow Deborah Wrigley on Facebook and Twitter.