TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WSVN) — Students across South Florida are planning to travel to the state capitol and demand that lawmakers reform the state’s gun laws.
Students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have organized rallies to say “never again.”
They have found a purpose in the cause and want to get the conversation going about gun control and public safety in schools. In the end, they don’t want to just have a conversation, they want laws to be changed.
As the 17 people killed in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High are being laid to rest, a movement has come to life.
“A group of my friends and I have started the Never Again movement to insure that never again will a mass shooting happen in a school, nightclub, in a movie theater, anything in the United States,” said group organizer Jaclyn Corin.
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The students of Stoneman Douglas High are pushing through the tears and emotion to take action.
“They say tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence,” said school shooting survivor Emma Gonzalez, during a memorial last week. “We call B.S.”
Junior class president Corin has led the charge. She organized a trip to bring about 100 students to Tallahassee to confront lawmakers and bring about change.
“We are not getting help from adults because we don’t need them,” Corin said. “We are not getting help from politicians because we don’t need them. We’ve already done so much in a matter of three days.”
Stoneman Douglas High School senior Brandon Abzug spent Monday meeting with lawmakers.
“I went to the capital and met with Rep. Carlos Smith, who I’ve been in contact with for the past couple of days,” Abzug said via phone. “Then I went on my journey. I had some very beneficial conversations, and I want to show others that as students, we can make a difference in the world.”
The teens are doing what they say adults haven’t, which is to keep them safe.
“President Trump, you control the House of Representatives, you control the Senate, and you control the Executive. You haven’t taken a single bill for mental health care or gun control and passed it,” said school shooting survivor David Hogg. “You think now is the time to focus on the past and not on the future to prevent the death of thousands of other children? You sicken me.”
Waves of support has come in from all over South Florida.
Instead of spending the President’s Day holiday relaxing, dozens of students demonstrated outside of Hollywood City Hall.
“We are all a group, and we are all a family,” said protester Julieta Fernandez. “We need to care about each other.”
7Skyforce captured the scene as protesters lined the street outside of Heritage High School in Plantation.
“We firmly believe since students are leading this one, there will be real change,” said protester Faith Ward. “We’re not trying to get the Second Amendment repealed, we’re not trying to take away all the guns, we’re not trying to pry them out of people’s hands. We just want to make sure the guns are in the hands of responsible owners, and not kids like the shooter.”
That is the message the students traveling to the the statehouse intend to deliver. “I do believe this is going to bring about change,” Corin said.
Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to have meetings with lawmakers on Tuesday about public safety and mental health issues.
On Wednesday, many students will be take buses to Tallahassee to make their voices heard in person.
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