Thousands of marchers rallied in Washington in favor of gun control on Saturday, including residents of Newtown, Connecticut, where a mass elementary school shooting reignited the U.S. gun violence debate.

One student dies from guns every two weeks and murders in that city last year rose to the highest level since 2008, according to police, posted Reuters.

Organizers backed President Barack Obama's call for a ban on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and background checks for all gun sales. They also urged safety training for all buyers of firearms.

Marchers stretched for several blocks along Constitution Avenue as they approached the rally site in the shadow of the Washington Monument.

Participants included politicians from Maryland and the District of Columbia, including Washington Mayor Vincent Gray, as well as actress Kathleen Turner and Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund.

The protest came a week after gun rights supporters held rallies across the United States to oppose firearms control.

Obama's proposals, the most significant attempt at gun-control in decades, face an uphill battle in Congress. The proposals are strongly opposed by gun advocates, such as the powerful National Rifle Association.

About 11,100 Americans died in gun-related killings as well as19,766 suicides by firearms in 2011 according to preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.