Today Parkland, Florida is in mourning. Two days ago, a teenager armed with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His Instagram photos revealed a creepy obsession with guns. His old classmates thought he was troubled and his old teachers thought he was dangerous. But despite these signs of mental disturbance, the 19-year-old was still able to legally purchase an AR-15, which he used to commit the massacre.
While the president ignores the issue of gun control, and politicians parrot the same tired talking points, 50 furious teenagers took to the street in protest. They're from South Broward High School, which is also in Parkland, a dozen miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Most of them aren't old enough to vote yet, but today they walked out of class to stage a rally and make their voices heard.
They carried handmade signs criticizing the influence of NRA lobbyists on lawmakers, the offers of "thoughts and prayers" but no action, and the priority of protecting guns over protecting children. They also chanted slogans, such as "Justice for Douglas!" and "Protect the kids!" and "You are responsible!" Drivers honked to show their support as they passed by.
"I want to end gun violence," said Sara Rodriguez, 16. She made a sign that read "NRA is a terrorist organization" and believes our congressmen have "absolutely" failed the young generation. "They don’t pay attention to our voice and we’re really tired of staying silent. We are the future. We’re trying to make it but we can’t do it if they’re not listening."
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"It doesn’t feel like school anymore," said Shane Dale, 14, as he reflected on life after the shooting. Since then, many people have expressed outrage that the killer was able to legally purchase a semi-automatic rifle. It's the same weapon used to in several previous mass shootings, from Orlando to Las Vegas to Sandy Hook. "Nobody needs an AR-15 rifle for hunting," said Shane. "We need to get rid of assault rifles overall."
"We don’t deserve this," said Ianna Seemungal, 17. "We need to be safe. There’s nowhere to be safe... We can’t even go to school." She teared up as she told HuffPost how tired she is of feeling unsafe, and how upset she is about government inaction. Compared to other civilized countries, America has significantly more gun violence. Mass shootings have become a routine occurrence, and after every event, politicians fail to do anything in response. When asked if she was worried about getting in trouble for cutting class to protest, Ianna replied, "No. And if I do, it was worth it.”
Well, as sad as the massacre was at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it's encouraging to see the kids at South Broward High School take a stand.
In related news, Jimmy Kimmel chokes up while slamming ‘mentally ill’ Trump for ignoring gun violence...