The massive protests held across the US on Saturday to demand tighter gun laws mark a shift in America’s gun control debate, an anti-gun activist in Washington says.

The rallies could finally lead to more firearms regulations and gun control legislation in Congress, while ushering restrictions for semi-automatic assault rifles, said Matthew Fogg, a former deputy US Marshal.

“There are hundreds of millions of guns right now on the streets; many are not registered; we don’t know where these guns are,” Fogg told Press TV on Sunday.

“There are various types of assault weapons that are on the streets that have the ability to take many lives; they’re weapons that you would use in a combat war zone,” he added.

“It’s a good thing that we have these massive demonstrations; hopefully they will get lawmakers to start changing their views and opinions on these laws.”

Hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered across the country on Saturday at March For Our Lives rallies to demand tighter gun laws, led by survivors of last month’s Florida school massacre which reignited public anger over mass shootings.

In some of the biggest US youth demonstrations for decades, protesters called on lawmakers and President Donald Trump to confront the issue.

Students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 people were killed on February 14 were set to speak at the biggest event, in Washington, where organizers said as many as 500,000 people were expected to demonstrate near the Capitol and call on Congress to fight gun violence.

PressTV-Massive rallies held across US for tighter gun controls

Hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered across the country on Saturday at March For Our Lives rallies to demand tighter gun laws.

The protests aim to break a legislative gridlock that has long stymied efforts to increase restrictions on firearms sales in a nation where mass shootings at schools and colleges have become a frighteningly frequent occurrence.

Chanting “never again,” the demonstrators want Congress to ban the sale of assault weapons like the one used in the Florida rampage and to tighten background checks for gun buyers.

Other protesters filled streets in cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego and St. Louis.

More rallies were held around the world, including London, England; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Berlin, Germany and Mumbai, India.

Young gun control activists say the death of their classmates in Florida has forced them to tackle a crisis that adults have failed for decades to prevent.