Never Again MSD
[2] A main goal of the group was to influence that year's United States mid-term elections,[3] and they embarked on a multi-city bus tour to encourage young people to register to vote.
[4] The organization staged protests demanding legislative action to be taken to prevent similar shootings in the future and has vocally condemned U.S. lawmakers who have received political contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
[5][6][7][8] It was credited in The Washington Post as winning a "stunning victory" against the NRA in the Florida legislature in March 2018 when both houses voted for various gun control measures.
[10] Among the organization's most prominent members are Alfonso Calderon, Sarah Chadwick, Jaclyn Corin, Ryan Deitsch, X González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, and Alex Wind.
Schamis added, "We share our stories in the hope that others understand that hate is not OK, it's never OK."[26] The Fort Lauderdale gun control rally at Broward County Federal Courthouse on February 17, 2018 was attended by hundreds of supporters.
[30] They then gave an impassioned 11-minute speech, in which they demanded to know where the "common sense" was in America's gun laws, calling out members of Congress who have accepted contributions from the NRA.
[2][12][35][36] The group worked with congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Florida Senator Lauren Book to arrange a bus trip for one hundred students and fifteen parent chaperones to the Capitol to voice their concerns with lawmakers and demand action on gun violence.
[46] Jaclyn Corin recognized that "Parkland received more attention because of its affluence," while David Hogg faulted the media for "not giving black students a voice.
[46] Sir Paul McCartney, speaking to CNN at a sister march in New York City, revealed his T-shirt reading "We can end gun violence.
"[50] Never Again MSD has worked to organize town hall meetings across the United States to hold Congress members accountable for their position on gun laws.
[57] During the summer and fall, the students traveled to every district in Florida and 30 states across the country, visiting over 100 communities, registering 50,000 voters, and raising awareness about gun violence.
[62][63] In a CNN editorial entitled "The NRA's worst nightmare is here", Dean Obeidallah compared Never Again MSD to the "early days of the #MeToo movement, which caused a cultural shift regarding sexual misconduct.
[64][65] In March 2018, Michelle and Barack Obama penned a handwritten letter to the students of Parkland, expressing admiration for their advocacy against gun violence: We wanted to let you know how inspired we have been by the resilience, resolve and solidarity that you have all shown in the wake of unspeakable tragedy ... Not only have you supported and comforted each other, but you've helped awaken the conscience of the nation, and challenged decision-makers to make the safety of our children the country's top priority.
Throughout our history, young people like you have led the way in making America better.Attempts to discredit the Never Again MSD movement in the media took the form of verbal attacks and misinformation by right-wing Republican leaders.
Former Republican senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum attacked the Parkland activists verbally during an interview with CNN, suggesting that students should take classes in CPR rather than marching in Washington.
[68] Leslie Gibson, a Republican candidate for the Maine House of Representatives, disparaged X González and David Hogg, but later apologized for his comments and withdrew his candidacy.
[72] Alex Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist and host of InfoWars, led a campaign to discredit X González, David Hogg, and other March for Our Lives protesters by comparing them to Nazis.
It raised the minimum age for buying firearms to 21, established waiting periods and background checks, provided a program for the arming of some teachers and the hiring of school police, banned bump stocks, and barred potentially violent or mentally unhealthy people arrested under certain laws from possessing guns.
"[10] John Cassidy stated in The New Yorker, "This was the first time in thirty years that Florida had passed any gun restrictions, and it was a direct response to the Never Again movement, which was founded by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
