Washington, United States - While hundreds of students across the US walked out of classrooms to protest against gun violence on Wednesday, Justin Blackman discovered he was the only in his school to walk out.
Out of 700 pupils at Wilson Preparatory Academy in Wilson, North Carolina, Blackman was the only one to participate in the protest.
He documented his walkout on Twitter, saying that 'only six people' will be watching his 28-second video. At the time of publishing, the video raked up over 4 million views.
When he walked out, 'no-one said anything' except his teacher who 'didn't even really care'.
Blackman was inundated with support from celebrities, public figures and National Walkout Day protesters and was hailed for his bravery.
Wow I’m literally the only one #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/2F95qY2vTI
— Justin Blackman (@JustinIBlackman) March 14, 2018
Teenagers from Washington area schools gathered outside the White House, holding up signs reading "Books Not Bullets" and "Protect People Not Guns" before marching on the US Capitol.
Students in dozens of other cities in all 50 states staged similar demonstrations and observed a moment of silence to honour the 14 students and three adult staff killed a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
In Washington, several hours after the protests broke up, US lawmakers took their first significant step to address school gun violence since the Parkland shooting.
The House of Representatives voted 407-10 to fund violence prevention measures at schools including boosting security, mental health screening and creating anonymous reporting systems so students can report threats.
But Congress has yet to tackle the more controversial aspects of gun control demanded in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
These include expanded background checks for gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and raising the minimum age for some firearms purchases.