Huge gun-control rallies sweep US

Hundreds of thousands of protesters are taking to the streets across the US to call for tighter gun control.

The March For Our Lives movement arose after 17 deaths in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month, BBC reports.  

Student leader and Parkland survivor Emma Gonzalez gave a powerful speech at the main Washington DC event.

After listing the names of the victims, she stayed silent on stage for six minutes, 20 seconds - the time it took for them to be killed. 

More than 800 sister protests were planned nationwide and abroad, with solidarity events taking place in Edinburgh, London, Geneva, Sydney and Tokyo.

As events began to draw to a close on the US east coast, they continued on the west, including a major demonstration in Los Angeles.