Student walkout

STUNNED by the deadliest high school shooting in US history, students have mobilised across the country to organise rallies and a national walkout in support of stronger gun laws, challenging politicians they say have failed them.

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a former student is accused of murdering 17 people on Wednesday using an assault-style rifle, joined others on social media to plan the events, including a Washington march.

“I felt like it was our time to take a stand,” said Lane Murdock, 15, of Connecticut.

Murdock, who lives 32km from Sandy Hook Elementary School where 20 children and six adults were shot to death five years ago, drew more than 50,000 signatures on an online petition on Sunday calling on students to walk out on April 20. Instead of going to classes, she urged her fellow students to stage protests on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School in Colorado.

Students from the Florida high school are planning a March for Our Lives in Washington on March 24.

They also plan to rally for gun control, mental health issues and school safety on Wednesday in Tallahassee, the state capital.

Students from the Florida school have lashed out at political leaders, including President Donald Trump, for inaction on the issue. Many criticised Trump for insensitivity after he Tweeted the FBI may have been too distracted with Russia to follow leads that could have prevented the massacre. REUTERS