In a packed College of the Canyons lecture hall, students and Santa Clarita residents gathered to discuss gun laws as part of a National Town Hall Day created in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

The “Town Hall For Our Lives” featured high school and college student speakers, some as young as 14, and candidates for the 25th Congressional District.

“It is admirable to know regardless of your party, regardless of your beliefs, we are all here to discuss an issue plaguing our country — the issue of gun violence,” said Dean Douglas, a junior at Golden Valley High School.

The students spoke about what their generation sees in the current policy, saying their voice matters even though many are not old enough to vote.

“Why are adults so threatened by the very children they have raised, to grow up and have a voice?” said Cassidy Bensko, a freshman at Valencia High School. “They say we cannot currently vote, so it doesn’t matter what we say or what we stand for, yet we are the next generation of educated and inspiring people to fill those voting booths.”

The student speakers called on legislators to “take action” on gun control after mass school shootings in schools across the country.

“When will it be enough? When will our lives and our futures not be a currency to fund your campaign?” said Stella Monroe, another Valencia freshman. “It’s been months since the Parkland shooting and your ‘thoughts and prayers’ have done nothing — it’s time to take action.”

The event sparked intense discussion from both sides of the issue from staunch gun supporters to people calling for more regulation of firearms.

“Obviously I’m from a different side of the aisle as many of you, but I ask you to hear me out,” said Ryan Shear, a member of the community during the open forum.”I believe more guns in classrooms will actually help. If you’re a potential shooter are you going to the place that has guns in every classroom, or somewhere that has no guns?”

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After the students and audience members voiced their opinions, four congressional candidates: Bryan Caforio, Katie Hill, Jess Phoenix and Mary Pallant, joined on the stage for a panel to discuss potential gun legislation they would enact, if elected to Steve Knight’s current seat.

Congressman Knight did not attend the town hall due to a scheduling conflict, according to a representative from his office.

Each CA-25 challenger gave an opening statement and answered questions from the audience regarding their solutions to the rise in gun violence.

“There are things we can do to save lives starting tomorrow if we had people in office with the willpower to stand up to the NRA and do that,” Caforio said. “Too many people are being killed, too many people are being injured and there are things we can do to save lives starting tomorrow.”

Katie Hill, whose father is in law enforcement, discussed her upbringing and how it shaped her views on firearms.

“When I was a kid, I laid awake wondering if my dad would make it home, and I was not worried about someone stabbing him. I was worried about someone shooting him,” said Hill. “We need to protect our schools, we need to protect our communities.”

Jess Phoenix talked about her personal connection to school shootings, living near Columbine High School during the infamous 1999 shooting.

“When I was 17, I was attending high school down the road from Columbine,” said Phoenix. “I want to focus on… what gun violence does after the shooting has stopped, when the news vans have left, and when you are sitting there trying to pick up the pieces of your reality that will never be the same.”

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Mary Pallant, a new face in the race for the 25th District seat, discussed the nuances in potential legislation, saying the right to bear arms is not an “unlimited right.”

“I’m reminded of a quote from ‘The Last Jedi’: ‘We are not going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love,’ and that is what we are all doing here today,” said Pallant. “The 2nd Amendment is not an unlimited right, there are limits to it.”

The town hall came to a close with a speech from one of the student organizers, Sebastian Cazares, who spoke on the current political climate, and how the upcoming generation might change the division.

“We are a country experiencing tremendous turmoil and division,” said Cazares. “I believe discussions like this will help us restore the soul and morality of this country.”

“This generation has woken up,” he said. “This generation is going change this entire world”

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