They made their voices heard. From city streets, to a CNN town hall, to the White House. Survivors of last week's Florida high school shooting and their supporters demanded something -- anything -- be done on guns to help stop the unimaginable kind of violence that visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Students brought a simple but powerful message to
a CNN town hall on guns Wednesday night that was aimed at Washington and the National Rifle Association: Guns are the problem, so do something about it. They wondered aloud why it seemed like they had to do all the work to make sure they were safe at school: "
Why do we have to march on Washington, just to save innocent lives?" one student asked Sen. Marco Rubio. And a grieving father of one of the victims
blasted the senator, saying his response to the shooting was "pathetically weak." Rubio said he supported raising the age requirement for rifles and is open to reconsidering the size of gun magazines.
President Donald Trump got an earful from survivors, too, during his
"listening" event at the White House. It was raw and emotional as students and parents affected by school shootings told Trump their stories and discussed solutions. Trump suggested arming teachers and school staff as a way to keep schools safe, which was met with support from some of the attendees, but was
criticized by other groups, such as teachers' unions.
And students across the country took part in the debate, too,
marching in solidarity with the Florida students after walking out of school in protest in Washington, Phoenix,
Minneapolis,
Colorado and
Illinois.
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