Several students who survived the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last week said they are not returning to school until “changes have been made,” according to a report.
Alex Wind, 17, who survived the shooting where 17 people were killed after a former student walked into the school with an AR-15, spoke with the Washington Post about a group he and other student formed called “Never Again MSD.” When speaking with the newspaper, Wind said he and other survivors involved with the group will not return to school until Congress takes action on guns.
“This isn’t about politicians; this is about victims,” Wind said. “We will not let those 17 people die in vain because, if nothing gets done, I am not going back to school, David Hogg will not be going back to school, Cameron Kasky will not be coming back to school, Emma Gonzalez will not be going back to school. None of us from the Never Again movement will be going back to school until legislation has been passed, and until changes have been made.”
Wind continued:
“How are we supposed to feel safe again? What if this happens again? What if this happens in any other school? How are we supposed to know and feel safe in those exact hallways where the shooting happened if nothing changes? If these laws caused the shooting in the first place, what’s going to stop (another shooting) if the laws don’t change?”
In the days after the shooting, Never Again MSD has gained thousands of followers on social media. The group’s Twitter page links to an event on March 24 called “March For Our Lives” where people will “take to the streets of Washington D.C. to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end this epidemic of mass school shootings.”
Survivors of the shooting at the Florida high school have been outspoken in the days following the deaths of their classmates and teachers–with many being critical of lawmakers and President Donald Trump for their links with the National Rifle Association.
You can read all of Wind’s interview with the Washington Post here.