Students rallied outside Hoboken City Hall Friday afternoon as part of a nationwide rally against gun violence in schools.

Students from Hoboken Charter School, Elysian Charter School and Hoboken High School gathered on Washington Street starting at 4 p.m. to speak out against gun violence on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

The students were joining students all around the country who staged school walkouts and rallies to try to convince Congress to enact stricter gun laws. The students say that the issue should go beyond politics.

“This is not a change that should be made. It’s a change that must be made so we can go to school and not worry about where we will hide in the classroom,” says Hoboken High School student Rebecca Weintraub.

The students in Hoboken also handed out voter registration cards to passers-by as a way to remind residents to vote in upcoming elections.

About 2,500 school participated in the rallies Friday.