Robert Kraft Sent Patriots Plane to Fly Stoneman Douglas Students to D.C. March

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft lent his team plane to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High so they could attend the March For Our Lives rally in Washington D.C., according to WBZ CBS Boston News:

Per Steve Annear of the Boston Globe, "[Patriots spokesman Stacey James] said Kraft decided to lend the plane to those affected by the shooting after former Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, reached out to him and asked for the favor." 

Giffords, a former Representative from Arizona, was shot in the head at a political meeting in Tucson in 2011. Six died in the shooting, though Giffords was among the survivors. 

The "March For Our Lives" rally in Washington D.C. on Saturday is one of many around the country to protest gun violence and advocate for gun control legislation.

According to the event's website, "On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today."

And the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, where 17 people were killed and another 17 injured in a mass shooting in February, wrote in the Guardian that they are proposing a number of changes to prevent school shootings in the future, which include:

• Ban semi-automatic weapons that fire high-velocity rounds
• Ban accessories that simulate automatic weapons
• Establish a database of gun sales and universal background checks
• Change privacy laws to allow mental healthcare providers to communicate with law enforcement
• Close gun show and secondhand sales loopholes
• Allow the CDC to make recommendations for gun reform
• Raise the firearm purchase age to 21
• Dedicate more funds to mental health research and professionals
• Increase funding for school security

A number of athletes have also supported the "March For Our Lives" rally, including the NBA's Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.