WASHINGTON – Student survivors of the horrifying Florida high school massacre have channeled their pain into political activism.
The group of Parkland teens has announced a demonstration in Washington, D.C., for March 24 called “March For Our Lives.”
The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS are determined to ensure that the massacre of 17 students, educators and staff in their high school is the last.
“Please stop allowing us to be gunned down in our hallways,” Emma Gonzalez, a high school senior, told “Fox News Sunday.”
The teens are calling on other students from around the country to demand action from politicians they blame for doing nothing on gun control in the face of mass shooting after mass shooting.
“People keep asking us, what about the Stoneman Douglas shooting is going to be different, because this has happened before and change hasn’t come?” Cameron Kasky, an 11th-grader, told ABC’s “This Week.” “This is it.”
The FBI admitted to ignoring a tip about 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz and President Trump has pointed to the FBI mistake and mental health problems in the wake of the shooting.
He’s declined to endorse any gun control policies.
The teens who witnessed their classmates die want more from Trump — who has yet to mention the word guns since the shooting — as well as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Rick Scott and the National Rifle Association, which has vehemently opposed gun control measures.
They plan to create a “Badge of Shame” for politicians who continue to accept money from the NRA.
“At this point, any politician on either side who is taking money from the NRA is responsible for events like this,” Kasky said. “… The NRA is fostering and promoting this gun culture in which people like Nikolas Cruz can gun down 17 innocent lives in our school. “
High school student David Hogg addressed President Trump directly on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying: “Children are dying, and their blood is on your hands because of that. Please take action. Stop going on vacation in Mar-a-Lago.”
“This event happened on Valentine’s Day. So many people lost loved ones. Our community and our nation have taken too many bullets to the heart. And now is the time for us to stand up …How many more students are going to have to die and have their blood spilt in American classrooms, trying to make the world a better place just because politicians refuse to take action,” Hogg added.
The students calling for gun control action face a GOP- led Congress that has declined to pass any steps in the wake of mass shootings, including a ban on bump stocks used the Las Vegas massacre, closing the gun show loophole that was exposed by the Charleston, S.C. church shooting or expansions to the background check system.
Influential conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said what’s really needed to protect students is allowing concealed weapons in schools to shoot down the next would-be murderer.
“The next shooter is out there. The next shooter probably has the gun he’s going to use. The next shooter is known by many people in his community. … We have got to realize this is what our country has become,” Limbaugh told “Fox News Sunday.”
Additional reporting by Max Jaeger