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Parkland families take Patriots plane to Washington D.C.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is helping students and families directly impacted by last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida, participate in a demonstration against gun violence in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

Families of the 17 people killed and students who were wounded in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting flew to Washington D.C. aboard the Patriots' official team plane, team spokesman Stacey James confirmed to NFL.com. The plane departed Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Thursday.

The Patriotstold the Boston Globe that Kraft decided to use the team plane after former Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, asked him for the favor.

The "March for Our Lives" demonstration takes place on the streets of the nation's capital Saturday. According to the New York Times, more than 800 protests for stricter gun laws are scheduled this week across the globe.