If You're Planning On Bringing A Bag To The March For Our Lives, Read This

The March For Our Lives is coming up on March 24. And if you're planning on participating in the main protest that's been organized in Washington D.C., you'll want to have all the details on what you can and cannot bring so that you're not turned away from participating. One of the biggest questions that I, personally, might have is can you bring a bag to the March For Our Lives or not. So, the answer?

You actually can bring a bag to the protest, but whatever your purse or backpack of choice is needs to meet the appropriate size criteria. If your bag is larger than the 18” by 13” by 7” dimensions outlined on the D.C. March For Our Lives' FAQ page, then you won't be able to bring that in Under no circumstances will you be able to bring in packages or coolers of any size.

Other items that need to follow a specific set of size dimension rules are any signs that you might plan on bringing along. Posters cannot exceed 20″ by 30″ by 1/4″. So if you were planning on making some sort of a giant 3D sign, save yourself the time and stick to a plain 2D poster board. And if you do plan on bringing a poster, make sure that you're not sticking any extra support onto the back of it like a stick to extend it and make it taller. Just keep it simple and stick to just bringing the poster. No funny business.

The obvious things that are on the prohibited items list are firearms of any sort, ammunition, explosives — basically any weapon of any sort is not allowed at the protest.

But there are a number of other odd items that you won't be able to bring that you might want to be aware of. According to that same FAQ page, pets or animals other than service animals will not be allowed in. You also can't bring in your bike or a drone if you have one.

And there are a couple of random prohibited items that you might want to be aware of. Those include, balloons, selfie sticks (but who still uses those, am I right?), and any glass, thermal, or metal containers. If you're unsure about a particular item, go ahead and visit that FAQ page ahead of time to ensure yourself a smooth sailing protest day.

These measures and restrictions can definitely be annoying, but they are very necessary in order to keep everyone participating in the protest safe. The March for Our Lives in D.C. starts at Pennsylvania Avenue at noon on March 24, and upwards of 500,000 people are expected to rally to call on lawmakers to take action on changing gun legislation in this country. With that big a crowd and considering the topic of protest, law enforcement will certainly be doing everything in their power to keep this as civilized and safe as possible.

If you live too far away from the D.C. and can't make it to that march, there's still a way for you to participate. Go ahead and find a march closest to you on the organizers' website so that you're not missing out on the activism come March 24.

The March For Our Lives is already on track to be one of the largest and most significant protests that the United States has ever seen. Despite the fact that it took a tragic incident and the deaths of far too many to make it happen, I am so inspired by everyone that has helped make this event a reality, and look forward to seeing where this movement will go.