Florida Shooting News: Survivor Emma Gonzalez Makes Powerful Speech on Gun Violence
After 17 people died at the Florida shooting, survivors and other students are turning their grief into action to end gun violence. Among which is survivor Emma Gonzalez, who made a powerful speech at a recent gun control rally.
Gonzalez opened her speech by acknowledging that the people present at the rally — fellow survivors and families of the victims — have every right to stay at home and grieve. Instead, they chose to join the fight. "If all our government and president can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it's time for victims to be the change that we need to see," she said.
The student slammed the idea that there is no cure to gun violence and that gun control is not the only answer. She noted the Port Arthur massacre that killed 35 people in Australia in 1996. To prevent this from happening again, then Prime Minister John Howard implemented strict gun control laws. There has not been any similar case of gun violence in Australia ever since.
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She also refused to acknowledge that the incident happened because the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, was mentally disturbed. "This isn't just a mental health issue. He wouldn't have hurt that many students with a knife," she said.
Gonzalez promised America that they are going to be "the kids you read about in textbook," not as another statistics of mass shooting, "but because ... we are going to be the last mass shooting."
The video broke the Internet over the weekend, and has been viewed at least 1.3 million times in just three days. People sharing the video on Twitter lauded Gonzalez for her powerful speech, calling her a "national hero."
Even celebrities like Demi Lovato and Zendaya acknowledged the young activist and thanked her for her bravery.
Gonzalez is among the survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 adults and students and injured 14 others.
