Shooting Survivors Demand Change at Florida Capitol

Florida Legislature debates the public health risk of pornography instead.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Thousands of chanting students, including survivors of the Florida school shooting, rallied at the state Capitol on Wednesday, demanding changes to gun laws and threatening to remove Republicans who refuse to address new gun-control measures.

A week after the massacre that killed 17 people, the students took their message into the gun-friendly halls of power in Tallahassee. The impassioned crowd burst into chants of “Vote them out.”

Florida lawmakers have rebuffed gun restrictions since the GOP took control of both the governor’s office and the Legislature in 1999.

The students received a warm reception, but politicians did not offer specific answers. The students’ biggest wish — banning assault-type weapons such as the AR-15, the weapon used by suspect Nikolas Cruz — was taken off the table the previous day in the House.

On Tuesday Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, tried to open debate on a proposed assault weapons ban on the House floor.  According to the Miami Herald, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, promptly cut him off saying, “You’re on the substance of the bill.”  Corcoran noted that under House rules, debate must be only about whether the bill should have been referred to three committees.

In the presence of recent school shooting survivors the Florida House moved on to a new topic, House Bill 157 sponsored by Republican Rep. Ross Spano.  The bill which affirms pornography to be a public health risk was discussed at length.

The students also addressed reporters, offering scathing words for lawmakers.

“We’ve spoke to only a few legislators, and, try as they might, the most we’ve gotten out of them is ‘We’ll keep you in our thoughts. You are so strong. You are so powerful,’” said Delaney Tarr, a senior at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. “We know what we want. We want gun reform. We want commonsense gun laws. … We want change.”

She added: “We’ve had enough of thoughts and prayers. If you supported us, you would have made a change long ago. So this is to every lawmaker out there: No longer can you take money from the NRA. We are coming after you. We are coming after every single one of you, demanding that you take action.”

On Wednesday students across Florida and in other states including Colorado and Minnesota walked out of classes to demonstrate support for school shooting survivors.