Underneath a blue sign reading 鈥淚 will vote鈥� in bold white print, 17-year-old Carlos 鈥淐arlitos鈥� Rodriguez addressed a crowd in Littleton, Colorado about life since a former student shot and killed 17 of his peers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

鈥淚 have had two months to understand what it鈥檚 like to feel alone, what it鈥檚 like to feel despair, what it鈥檚 like to feel pain,鈥� he said, flanked by dozens of his classmates. 鈥淲e have been eternally scarred. But now we share a common voice.鈥�

Rodriguez, along with hundreds of sign-holding attendees, called for tougher gun laws Thursday night in Clement Park during a political rally doubling as a remembrance for the 12 students and one teacher killed in a shooting at Columbine High School 19 years ago.

鈥淭wo months does not compare to 19 years,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淭his nation should have realized that the right to live 鈥� the right to feel safe 鈥� was more important than the right to bear arms 19 years ago.

The rally, coined 鈥淰ote For Our Lives,鈥� was a callback to recent 鈥淢arch For Our Lives鈥� protests. It featured speeches from Columbine High School students and educators, family members of victims of the 2013 shooting at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, gun control activists and musical performances 鈥� most notably, Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray.

Former Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis recited the names of the 13 victims while students lit candles behind him, one for each name.

鈥淣ever again,鈥� he yelled to the crowd. 鈥淓nough is enough and these senseless deaths must stop!鈥�

Columbine High School teacher Paula Reed read aloud a letter she received shortly before the shooting from her student at the time, Rachel Scott.

鈥淛ust felt the need to write,鈥� Reed read, her voice breaking. 鈥淚鈥檝e never taken a class so seriously. I just wanted to tell you I love you and appreciate you so much. Thank you.鈥�

Scott was the first student to be killed on April 20, 1999.

Reed went on to say little has changed at Columbine since the shooting.

鈥淔or the most part, that鈥檚 a good thing,鈥� she said.

What has changed, Reed explained, is the types of drills the school does. Instead of just fire drills, the school, like many, now has regular active shooter drills.

鈥淚 no longer feel perfectly safe in the school where I work, active shooter drills notwithstanding,鈥� she said.

Nia Arrington, a representative of Youth Power Collective, a social justice organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, spoke during the event to raise awareness of gun violence outside of schools.

鈥淚 am here speaking today to address how gun violence has become embedded in American culture,鈥� she said to the crowd. 鈥淏ut more so to state that black men and women have been fighting to end gun violence for years.鈥�

Standing in front of Parkland and Columbine students, she asked those present to start labeling the men and women wrongly killed by law enforcement officers as 鈥渟urvivors鈥� and 鈥渧ictims鈥� as well.

鈥淒espite our many differences, we are becoming united by this gross narrative that clumps us all together and throws on the label which reads 鈥榮urvivor鈥� or 鈥榲ictim鈥� of gun violence,鈥� she said.

Beyond remembering the victims of multiple tragedies, organizers of the rally aimed to register people to vote in the upcoming 2018 midterms. Clipboard-toting volunteers wove through the crowd at Clement Park throughout the night.

Similar 鈥淰ote For Our Lives鈥� events took place around the country Thursday, according to the group鈥檚 Facebook page.

Co-organizer Emmy Adams, a student at Golden High School, carried a walkie-talkie during the event and sported a light denim jacket, covered in buttons. She said the 2018 midterms will be the first election she鈥檚 participated in.

鈥淰oting is instrumental in making a difference, especially at these midterms,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to send a message to our leaders that we鈥檙e not playing around 鈥� we鈥檙e not just talking the talk, we鈥檙e walking the walk.鈥�

Friday, April 20 is the official 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. In remembrance, students in Boulder, Denver, Aspen, Fort Collins and around the country took to the streets to protest gun violence.

Columbine High School was closed Friday to honor the victims of the 1999 shootings.