Protestors gather at Texas State Capitol for second March for Our Lives rally

AUSTIN, Texas - Thousands are expected to rally in Washington D.C. and in smaller local marches across the nation during the second March for Our Lives event Saturday as part of a renewed push for nationwide gun control. 

Protestors are gathering at the Texas State Capitol in downtown Austin as part of the national event.

Motivated by a fresh surge in mass shootings, from Uvalde, Texas, to Buffalo, New York, protestors say lawmakers must take note of shifting public opinion and finally enact sweeping reforms.

The first rally took place in 2018 after 17 people were killed and another 17 wounded when a gunman opened fire at the school in Parkland, Florida on Valentine's Day that year. That massacre sparked the creation of the youth-led March For Our Lives movement, which pressured the Florida state government to enact sweeping gun control reforms.

The Parkland students then took aim at gun laws in other states and nationally, launching March for Our Lives and holding a big rally in Washington on March 24, 2018.

Now, with another string of mass shootings bringing gun control back into the national conversation, organizers of this weekend’s events say the time is right to renew their push for a national overhaul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.