Manhattan DA Heading To Washington 'March For Our Lives' Rally

NEW YORK, NY — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. will join thousands of protesters in Washington D.C. next month at a rally supporting gun control legislation. The Democratic prosecutor will head to the capital on March 24 for the "March for Our Lives," a protest spearheaded by survivors of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Protesters will take to the streets in Manhattan the same day in one of dozens of solidarity marches calling on Congress to pass tougher gun laws in the wake of the Parkland massacre. Students who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have led a recent push for comprehensive gun reform.

"Brave, eloquent, and remarkably effective young people are leading the nation on gun violence – in a way that my generation never did," Vance said in a statement Tuesday. "We are honored to stand behind them, and we hope that other law enforcement agencies will, too."

Vance's support for the march is his latest effort to fight gun violence and lax gun laws. He co-founded Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, a national law-enforcement coalition, and has recently spoken out against the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a proposed federal law that would force states to honor concealed weapons permits from other states.

Vance is also launching a fellowship for graduating high school seniors interested in advocating for gun control. His office will select two students to organize activists and advocate for gun reform for six weeks during the summer.

Vance's office will post an application form to its website on March 5.

(Lead image: Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. speaks at an event in Manhattan in November 2015. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)