A gunman wielding a legally purchased AR-15 assault rifle murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last Wednesday, and while stories like this one are all-too-familiar to a nation plagued by gun violence, the response has been markedly different this time around.

The survivors of Wednesday’s shooting are not just grieving: they are angry, angry they had to suffer a tragedy many believe could have been avoided. Most importantly, Parkland students have turned their anger into activism. In interviews with major news organizations, they have expressed a desire for action in Congress in the form of any legislation, gun control and otherwise, that increases school safety. Many believe these students are the first shooting survivors to really make their voices heard because they are members of the post-Columbine generation, a group of people who have lived in fear of mass shootings for as long as they can remember and who are finally old enough to speak their mind. One of the students, David Hogg, a young journalist who interviewed other survivors during the shooting about their opinions on gun policy, told news outlets the following:

“We need to do something. We need to get out there and be politically active. Congress needs to get over their political bias with each other and work toward saving children’s lives.”

Many other Parkland students share Hogg’s sentiments, including Emma Gonzalez, who, in a gripping speech at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, called “BS” on the lies of NRA-backed politicians that she accused of failing to take action on an issue they claim is unpreventable.

President Trump was perhaps foremost among the politicians under assault from the students, as Marjory Stoneman Sophomore Sarah Chadwick made abundantly clear in a scathing tweet: “I don’t want your condolences you f*cking piece of sh*t, my friends and teachers were shot.” The President provoked further outrage on Saturday when he chose partisanship over cooperation, blaming Democrats for the lack of action in Congress to improve gun control.

Just like they don’t want to solve the DACA problem, why didn’t the Democrats pass gun control legislation when they had both the House & Senate during the Obama Administration. Because they didn’t want to, and now they just talk!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2018

The survivors have organized a protest, “March For Our Lives“, in Washington DC on March 24,  and are encouraging students across the country to organize similar events in their own communities. They hope to change the cynical attitude held by some Americans, including many currently holding political office, that nothing can be done to prevent future calamity. 100 of the survivors recently traveled to Tallahassee, the Floridian state capital, only to find that the state congress voted overwhelmingly against a proposed bill that would have banned several semi-automatics weapons-including the AR-15-as well as certain high-capacity magazines. Several of the Parkland students had voiced their support for this bill.

The Parkland shooting has sparked strong reactions from many Wayne Hills students and faculty, including Senior Laura Necsoi, who commented on gun control and school safety.

“I think it’s ridiculous we’re even having this conversation. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This is about the safety of people in schools. Apologizing and sending prayers isn’t going to do anything if the people who are praying refuse to do anything about the gun issue in this country.”

Necsoi also expressed concern about safety protocols in Wayne Hills, saying it is currently too easy for anyone to enter the school; however, she also feels the only reason we have to think about safety protocols so often is the prevalence of gun violence in the United States.

Junior Dylan Catania said that “It’s disappointing that the FBI had a chance to stop that psychopath and save all of those people”. Catania is referencing reports that the FBI was warned about the Florida shooter after he posted a threatening comment on YouTube. 

Junior Joey Vitale believes, “It’s saddening that we as a country let this continue; we need change and we needed it long before this tragedy”. His sentiment is shared by many at Wayne Hills, and the school is planning to show its support for the Parkland community.

Update: On Tuesday, February 20, President Trump announced his support for legislation banning “bump stocks”, devices that can convert semi-automatic weapons to fully-automatic fire modes. A bump stock was used by the Las Vegas shooter in October 2017.