February 14, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15, a semi-automatic assault-style rifle, to open fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 at injuring 14 others. Cruz, who was expelled from the school, was described by his former classmates as a “loner,” a “troubled kid,” and an “outcast.”
“Everyone predicted it,” one student said.
“Everyone predicted it,” a student said about the #Parkland shooting. pic.twitter.com/mbzBIw8iUa
— Vic Micolucci WJXT (@WJXTvic) February 14, 2018
This marked the sixth school shooting that resulted in injuries this year. There has been a total of 17 incidents of gunfire in school in 2018. An AR-15 had been used in numerous other mass shootings.
There has been the political outpour.
President Trump tweeted his prayers.
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
The National Rifle Association (NRA) used Leslie Knope in a tweet (which got backlash from Amy Poehler, co-creator of the show Michalel Schur, and even Nick Offerman and Adam Scott) after their spokesperson, Dana Loesch, answered questions at CNN Town Hall.
.@DLoesch thank you for being the voice of over 5 Million #NRA members. pic.twitter.com/WDz7vujXfM
— NRA (@NRA) February 22, 2018
There’s even talk of arming teachers to prevent school shootings.
But now students are taking matters into their own hands.
There have been outcries for reforms and even for a National High School Walkout Day on April 20.
Three days after the shooting, Emma González stood behind a microphone and gave a moving speech. She called “BS” on the NRA and Trump, adding that she wants to get any politician who accepts money from the NRA to be voted out of office.
“They say that tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS!” Florida high school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez calls on President Trump and lawmakers to tighten gun restrictions in impassioned speech at an anti-gun rally in Fort Lauderdale https://t.co/DgnqrrVs9x
— CNN (@CNN) February 17, 2018
González is just one of the students thrusted into the limelight this past week due to the shooting. Many have been doing interviews and some even have written in to news organizations as guest writers.
And now Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are planning a march.
On March 24, there will be a March For Our Lives organized in Washington DC to call for school safety and gun control.
“Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school,” the organization’s website states. “School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing.”
The causes’s GoFundMe has already raised over $2 million, plus another $2 million from numerous celebrities.
There will be sister marches throughout the country and the world. These can all be found on Facebook.
But for Clarkies, there will be a March For Our Lives at the Boston Commons March 24 from 12 to 5 p.m.
“The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues,” the organization’s website states. “No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country. passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.”
I’m marching. Are you?
Header Image: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins