Following the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, one student who witnessed the massacre is making a bold plea to lawmakers:
“We’re children. You guys are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, come over your politics, and get something done.”
At least seventeen fatalities have been reported since the shooting, and it is one of many that has rattled the nation in the past year. With the drastic increase in school shootings, there have been cries across the nation for stricter policies and gun control laws—but sometimes the greatest words of wisdom come out of the mouth of a child.
David Hogg, a student journalist and senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, captured footage of the shooting as former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, opened fire.
In explaining why he chose to film the massacre, Hogg responded, “I was really thinking about, ‘What has my impact been? What have any of our impacts been?’ … I thought to myself, ‘If I die today, I want my impact to be—if I die I want to tell a good story.'”
“I want to show these people exactly what’s going on when these children are facing bullets flying through classrooms and students are dying trying to get an education,” he continued. “That’s not OK, and that’s not acceptable and we need to fix that.”
While his recordings could not be displayed on air due to their graphic content, Hogg still had an important message that he wanted to get across to lawmakers, Congress and the President:
“My message to lawmakers and Congress is please take action. Ideas are great. Ideas are wonderful and they help you get re-elected and everything, but what’s more important is actual action and pertinent action that results in saving thousands of children’s lives. Please take action.”
When asked if he had a sense of what kind of action that would be, Hogg replied, “Any action at this point instead of just complete stagnancy and blaming the other side of the political aisle would be a step in the right direction, and working together to save these children’s lives is what this country needs.”
Congressman Ted Deutch, representing Florida’s 22nd district, later commended Hogg for delivering his much-needed message.
“I appreciate the interview that you just did with the two students,” said Deutch. “When they were leaving, I went to tell them how brave I thought they were, and (Hogg) looked at me and he said, ‘We want action.’ ”
Student David Hogg who survived the Florida school shooting looks directly in the camera, and sends a message to President Donald J. Trump and lawmakers: “Please, take action. Ideas are great… But what’s more important is actual action… But what’s more important is actual action… that results in saving thousands of children’s lives. Please, take action.” http://cnn.it/2oaWipc
Posted by CNN on Thursday, February 15, 2018
Football Coach Dives in Front of 3 Girls to Shield Bullets from Florida Gunman, Dies a True Hero
