PHOENIX - The Arizona Department of Public Safety estimates that 15,000 people attended the March For Our Lives gun-control rally at the state Capitol in Phoenix.
While that number is large, event organizers are estimating the turnout was more like 25,000.
The crowd attending the event organized by high school students heard about an hour of speeches before setting out on a march to and from a point about halfway from the Capitol to the heart of downtown Phoenix.
Student organizers of the March For Our Lives gun-control rally in Phoenix say it's a message to state and national leaders that participants have "had enough" of mass shootings and catering to the National Rifle Association's wishes.
About two-dozen gun-rights supporters staged a counter-protest in the midst of the larger gathering. They held flags and sometimes challenged March For Our Lives participants to debate gun issues.
At least a couple of the pro-gun supporters brought AR-15s to the protest. They told 12 News they believe in gun rights and don’t want to see any laws that would take them away.
Two of the student organizers of the event opened it by urging young people to register to vote and boot out officeholders who won't act.
Samantha Lekberg, 16, of Surprise, proclaimed "guess what, we can vote them out."
Fellow organizer Jordan Harb, 17, of Mesa told the many teens in the crowd of all ages "you are powerful" and said they need to remain active to hold lawmakers accountable.
Harb of Mountain View High School in Mesa and Lekberg of Willow Canyon High School in Surprise issued statements in advance of the rally that they and others plan Saturday at the state Capitol.
Harb says "it's time to save our children and our country's future," while Lekberg says the event isn't political driven but is a statement from the country's youth "that the killing must end."
Another student, McKenna Gattis made a statement with what she was wearing. The Catholic school student says she wears a plaid skirt as a school uniform, but wearing a bullet-proof vest on Saturday asked the question, "Is this my new uniform?"
The Phoenix rally and others across the country were organized in the wake of the Valentine Day's shooting that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Organizers say they want universal background checks required for gun purchasers and a ban on bump stocks. Those devices allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns.
12 News contributed to this report.