Yesterday afternoon, the country's 18th school shooting since the start of 2018 claimed the lives of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, and many are understandably shocked and saddened by it all, but also rallying for change. Celebrities took to social media to not only share their condolences for those affected by the awful incident but also to offer their own concerns about gun control in America. With 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz in police custody and families reeling from their losses, the question most people want to know is: When will it stop?
For stars who live in Florida, it hits especially close to home, with actress Gabrielle Union taking to Twitter to express her fears. “Like thousands in South Florida, we sent the boys to school in Broward County this morning… there are no words to describe the despair, horror & anger,” she said. “How many children must not make it home?”
Actor Mark Ruffalo added his own thoughts, calling for more action to improve. “Prayers without accordant action are silent lies told to oneself," he tweeted. "Action is the language of truth.”
Others took aim at the government more directly, calling them out for their continued failure to tackle gun control head on, particular ones with direct financial ties to organizations such as the NRA. “We have to elect candidates that are not funded by the NRA in November,” TV host and comedian Chelsea Handler wrote, referring to the midterm elections coming up this fall.
House of Cards creator Beau Willimon went a step further, tagging the Twitter accounts associated with the Republican party and the NRA. "When Will The @GOP Stop Being OWNED By The @NRA And FINALLY Do ANYTHING About #GunControl?" He asked. "Never. Their thoughts and prayers mean nothing."
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr chimed in on the issue as well, in a video spotted on USA Today. "Well, nothing has been done,” Kerr said when asked about the incident. “It doesn't seem to matter to our government that children are being shot to death day after day in schools. It doesn't seem to matter that people are being shot at a concert, in a movie theater. It's not enough, apparently, to move our leadership, our government, the people running this country to actually do anything."
Kerr also made reference to this year's upcoming midterm election as an opportunity to call for change. "We can vote people in who actually have the courage to protect peoples’ lives and not just bow down to the NRA because they finance their campaign for them..... [to] focus on the real safety issues and not building some stupid wall for billions of dollars that has nothing to do with our safety."
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