Tens of thousands of women rallied in Washington on Sunday to urge legislators to enact stricter gun-control measures and protect their children.

In the capital of one of the most violent countries in the world, women who have lost children to guns joined others who fear for their children's lives in the "Million Mom March" to demand that Congress pass "common sense gun control." Similar rallies were held in 70 others cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Austin, Texas. Accompanied by children and some husbands, the women demanded legislation requiring all gun owners to obtain licenses and register their handguns. In the United States, home to 192 million privately owned firearms, an average of 80 people, including 12 children, are shot to death each day. Each year, an estimated 30,000 Americans die from gunshot wounds, including suicides and accidental shootings, and one out of every four Americans has been threatened by a firearm, according to a poll published in Sunday's Washington Post. "This is the most violent civilized country in the world, but we can do something to change that because we know prevention works," President Bill Clinton said Sunday. Clinton, whose absence in the march was designed not to detract from the mothers' role, hopes the march will pressure congressional Republicans to enact gun curbs passed by the Senate a year ago. First Lady Hillary Clinton, actress Susan Sarandon and singer Emmylou Harris joined the thousands of women carrying placards reading "Guns don't die, people do" and "Children aren't bullet-proof," as they called for tougher laws. The marchers also support measures calling for limits to the number of guns individuals may own, trigger locks and background checks at gun shows.