Parkland School Shooting Survivors Speak In Daytona

Posted

Daytona Beach, FL - The nationwide push for gun law reform by survivors of the deadliest school shooting in United States history makes its way to Daytona Beach.

Around 150 people were in attendance at City Island Library today as spokespeople for March For Our Lives - including five students or recent graduates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland - argued for several measures as a response to the shooting deaths of 17 people at the school this past Valentine's Day by a former student.

Among those measures: urging more people between the ages of 18 and 24 to vote regardless of political affiliation and pushing for "red flag" laws which would make it harder for certain types of people to get access to guns, especially those with a documented history of mental illness or violence towards others.

Delany Tarr - a recent MSD graduate - says Nikolas Cruz's act and similar ones from other school shooters in the past leaves survivors like her no choice but to get off the political sideline.

"Activism is our regular [way of life]," Tarr added during the town hall-style meeting. "We don't have the choice to become just regular teens and throw all this away because this is what we were thrown into."

Tarr also added that the group isn't against the Second Amendment - referring to that section of the United States Constitution which enshrines gun ownership - but that more regulation is needed to keep people like Cruz from getting guns.

Amit Dadon - another MSD graduate who now attends the University of Maryland - said he didn't get why having a universal background check to get a weapon hasn't already happened.

"97% of Americans agree on [universal background checks]," Dadon added. "Americans don't agree on 97% of anything else."

The crowd roared with laughter when one of the speakers told the crowd forcefully "we're not crisis actors", a line which made the Internet rounds after the shooting suggesting that the event was faked.

Audience questions were allowed during the hour-long meeting, with most people who went up to the microphone expressing support and admiration for what March For Our Lives is doing.

The crowd at the meeting was mostly supportive of March For Our Lives, though there were a few who made it clear they were against any more gun control efforts, including one man in a "Trump 2020" T-shirt.

featured