You Need To Watch Paul McCartney's Tribute To John Lennon At The March For Our Lives

Across the United States, hundreds of thousands of people are participating in the March For Our Lives. The protest, organized primarily by students that survived the Parkland school shooting in February 2018, has drawn participants of every age, every career, every year in school, and even internationally beloved musicians. Paul McCartney's March For Our Lives tribute to John Lennon will make you tear up, and no amount of warning can actually prepare you for it.

During the NYC March for Our Lives on Saturday, March 24, Lennon spoke to a CNN reporter and said the following:

"One of my best friends was killed in gun violence right around here, so it's important to me."

Though not mentioned by name, McCartney is speaking about his dear friend Lennon. McCartney formed The Beatles with Lennon when they were just teenagers playing house shows in Liverpool, England, and the two collaborated together for decades. In 1980, a man named Mark David Chapman shot and killed Lennon on the street outside of the Dakota Hotel in New York City. In 1981, Chapman was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years to life in jail, according to the New York Daily News. As McCartney points out to CNN, the place of Lennon's death was not far from where the NYC March For Our Lives was taking place close to 40 years later.

You can watch the powerful clip of McCartney speaking to CNN at the March For Lives NYC is below.

The March For Our Lives is a call for America's lawmakers to enact gun control" laws, particularly the ones the march's organizers believe could have prevented numerous gun-related tragedies in the United States. The teenagers from the Parkland shooting have garnered support is absolutely incredible, as is their commitment drawing attention to gun violence at every level.

McCartney isn't the only celebrity attending one of the March For Our Lives events today, but he's one of the most famous people in the world as a former member of the Beatles and a renowned musician in his own right. According to Variety, George Clooney, Amal Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Miley Cyrus, Dennis Rodman, Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, and so many other celebs supported the march in Washington, D.C., as well as the other ones happening around the country.

During his life, John Lennon supported peaceful protesting, non-violence, and anti-war sentiments as time wore on. He and Yoko Ono famously released "Give Peace A Chance" together, and if you've ever listened to the song "Imagine" even once, it's obvious what Lennon stood for. While one can't know for sure, it stands to reason that he'd be in support of the teenage activists organizing the marches today.

McCartney's t-shirt reads "We can end gun violence," and that's the overall message of the March For Our Lives. Artist and musician Yoko Ono was married to Lennon at the time of his death, and continues to espouse the peaceful protest messages they once worked on together. While Ono has not made a definitive statement about the March For Our Lives, she did post this Instagram on March 7:

"When we were young we said we cannot trust anyone over 30," Ono wrote in the Instagram caption, "And now it’s you, the youth of America. I invite you to give us your brain power. We need you. Kids power!"

McCartney mentioned John Lennon at the March For Our Lives to demonstrate how long gun violence has affected America. The loss of his friend and collaborator was as detrimental then as it is now. Almost 40 years after the fact, McCartney is out on the streets with the newest generation, demanding peace, acknowledgment, and action. Lennon would be proud.