School shooting survivors want to talk about gun control with Florida’s lawmakers
US - Under the rallying cry of #NeverAgain, dozens of students and staff who survived the Florida school shooting departed for the state capital yesterday, where they wanted to speak with lawmakers about school safety and gun control.
Instead of waiting for adults and politicians to respond to the mass shooting that killed 17 classmates and teachers last week, young survivors are organizing in a wave of impassioned advocacy for gun reform. They’ve garnered support from other teenagers, their families and teachers.
“They can change the world, and we can only go with them,” Darren Levine, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High teacher, said of the school’s students at an antiviolence rally.
Andrew Pollack lost his 18-year-old daughter, Meadow Pollack, in the shooting last week.
“I’m not gonna let my daughter’s death go in vain,” he told CNN affiliate WSVN. “I promised all these kids that I’ve been talking to that they’re gonna go to school and they’re gonna be safe, and we’re gonna have a movement.”
Florida Gov Rick Scott will be holding meetings with law enforcement, school administrators, teachers and mental health experts about ways to keep students safe and prevent guns from getting into the hands of people struggling with mental illness. The workshops will be livestreamed.
“A tragedy like what occurred in Broward County must never happen again and swift action is needed now,” said Scott in a statement. “I am bringing local and state leaders together to find solutions on how to prevent violence in our schools and keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill individuals. This is an urgent matter that we must address quickly.” (CNN)