The survivors of the mass shooting of Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have proven to be a powerful, outspoken force in the tragedy that killed 17. The name of Emma Gonzalez was soon trending on Twitter on Saturday after she delivered a powerful, heart-wrenching speech that targeted President Trump, the NRA, and urged for gun control laws at an anti-gun rally.
Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting, told the crowd: "We are going to be the last mass shooting." She continued her impassioned speech, "we are going to change the law. That's going to be Marjory Stoneman Douglas in that textbook, and it's all going to be due to the tireless efforts of the school board, the faculty members, the family members and most importantly the students." She spoke of how children are stepping up for themselves, considering the adults in Washington are doing nothing to protect them from gun violence.
The high school senior did not shy away from addressing the president directly. She said, “If the president wants to come up to me, and tell me to my face that it was a terrible tragedy, and how it should have never have happened, and maintain telling us how nothing is going to be done about it, I’m gonna happily ask him how much money he received from the National Rifle Association … You wanna know something? It doesn’t matter because I already know: 30 million dollars.”
She reminded us that although the president tweeted, "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!" in response to the shooting, he revoked an Obama-era regulation last February that made it more difficult for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun.
As Gonzalez continued her passionate speech, she encouraged the crowd to shout, "We call B.S.," after delivering a series of arguments. This speech immediately blew up on Twitter with people applauding her words and her courage.
