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A Dozen People Hold Rally To Stand Up For Gun Rights, Second Amendment

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA)  -- While more than 830 demonstrations against gun violence were held around the world Saturday, a small group in Los Angeles rallied to support gun ownership.

KCAL9's Jeff Nguyen spoke to about a dozen people in Los Angeles who were rallying for the right to bear arms.

"Defend the second amendment," one man chanted.

This small but vocal group was outside the Federal Building in Westwood to exercise their rights to free speech.

"This is a pro-gun, pro-second amendment, that's the name of this rally," Elsa Aldeguer said.

It was a response to the massive turnout in Downtown LA – earlier in the day – where tens of thousands took part in the "March For Our Lives" rally.

Across the country – the push for tougher gun measures have been driven by activist students – following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on Valentine's Day last month.

"I really want there to be more control of who can get a gun," said student Sasha Zaitsaba at the MFOL rally.

The pro-gun activists held a counter demonstration in Downtown LA – before moving to Westwood.

"We saw all these kids chanting the NRA are killing people. It's not the NRA. It's people that are mentally unstable," Aldeguer said.

When it came to weapons, like the AR-15, some gun owners say they're taking a stand for military-style guns because they fear what they call an erosion of gun rights.

But it wasn't a consensus among this group.

"The big AR-15s, I wouldn't recommend for someone to have it at home, no, a little gun, I think, anything to protect themselves. But no I'm not advocating for military guns to be out in the public," Aldeguer said.

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