More than 1000 people gathered on February 17 on the Broward County courthouse steps, spilling into the streets below calling for stricter gun control in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Children and adults alike waved signs that read: “It could have been us”, “My friends are dead because of you” and “What’s more important, guns or kids?”.

They all united to raise awareness of common sense gun laws and featured speeches from survivors such as David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez. The crowd was buzzing with passion towards the cause and did so peacefully; there were also police at the scene of the protest who made sure everything was kept under control. There were many Broward County students and teachers who were showing their support; some participating were as young as seven years old.

The area was flooded with cameras and reporters covering the protest which gained national attention and had a goal of sending a message to our state legislators and the president. The featured speakers called out all the politicians who accept money from the National Rifle Association (NRA) such as Richard Burr, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump.

Senator Marco Rubio has sent out his thoughts and prayers for the families of the victims on Twitter, but fell short when it came to owning up to how much money he receives from the NRA.

Marco Rubio has accepted $3 million dollars in donations since his campaign in 2009.

Since the shooting, Florida residents have held more protests that want to spread the same message. One of the very first protests occurred at South Broward High School and was organized by students on social media. There has since been protests taking place in other Broward County schools, even organizing an all-county walkout the week after.

The students of Stoneman Douglas have gained huge national support with thousands who want to join the fight for stricter gun laws. There was a march organized called the March for Our Lives set up for students from all over the world to join in and make their voice heard; it is estimated to be the largest gathering of young people to ever be held. It’s going to be held in Washington, DC with hundreds of sister marches going on all over the world.

My school wont become another statistic.

You can find locations of these protests at –  https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/ 

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Ways you can help: 

• If your 18 or older: VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
• If you are 16 in the state of Florida, you can pre-register to vote for when you turn 18
• Even if you can’t vote just yet, you can use your voice and raise awareness on gun control by using #NEVERAGAIN

Donate to the victim’s fund-  https://www.gofundme.com/stonemandouglasvictimsfund

Buy a Stoneman Douglas T-shirt to support the school and the students- https://teespring.com/stores/support-parkland-victims

Donate to the medical expenses of victims- https://www.gofundme.com/anthonyborges

Help send students to march in Washington, DC-  https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives

Help support the MSD benefit concert-  https://www.gofundme.com/msd-benefit-concert