Survivors of last month’s Florida school shooting who remain at the forefront of the reignited debate on US gun control have appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The Parkland teenagers, who have become the face of a national youth movement calling for tighter gun laws following the tragedy, appear next to the headline ‘ENOUGH’. In the five weeks since the Valentine’s Day mass shooting carried out by alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz which left 17 dead, the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have taken on the powerful US gun lobbyists, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and politicians urging for Congress to pass meaningful gun legislation. Survivors Jaclyn Corin, Alex Wind, Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky and David Hogg represent a much larger group driving the movement against gun violence, using social media to mobilise protests calling for action on gun control. Emma Gonzalez TIME's new cover: The school shooting generation has had enough t.co/4YI173gqTxpic.twitter.com/7yFEXuVjyb— TIME (@TIME) March 22, 2018 Emma Gonzalez, 18, gained global prominence after delivering an impassioned 11-minute speech at a gun control rally outside a federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just days after the shooting. Addressing President Donald Trump and the NRA, the grieving teenager told the crowd: “They say that tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS!” I believe Emma Gonzalez is the most inspiring female of 2018 with her pure, raw speech that started a movement & she deserves special mention this #IWD2018https://t.co/VOpfZYaU8S— Johnny Boy (@GeeForce77) March 8, 2018 “We are going to be the last mass shooting,” the buzzcut senior announced in the speech that has subsequently been watched by millions on social media. Gonzalez, who hid at the back of the school’s auditorium during the gunman’s rampage, also co-founded the Never Again movement and has won praise for her mature cross examination of NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch in a live TV debate. Good Morning! It's a beautiful day to remember that teachers shouldn't have to worry about anything except their Home Life and Educating their Students �� (and maybe sometimes planning ice cream parties but thats just me)— Emma González (@Emma4Change) February 26, 2018 She now has more followers than the NRA on Twitter, a platform she only joined last month. David Hogg David Hogg hid during the mass shooting Credit: Getty Aspiring journalist David Hogg, who studies TV production at Stoneman High and writes for the school paper, has become the group’s informal press secretary. The 17-year-old was in an environmental science class when he heard gunshots and hid in a closet with other students as the school was placed on lockdown. He began recording from inside the building on his mobile phone and started interviewing other terrified students who called for the introduction of tighter gun control laws. “Hopefully I’ll live through this,” he said. As desperate students called their parents from the classroom, Hogg recorded a plea for legislators “to take action and stop this from happening”. “Thousands of people have died from gun violence and it's time to take a stand … for human lives, for children's lives,” he said. After a series of TV interviews, Hogg was even forced to rebut conspiracy theories claiming he was a crisis actor employed by anti-gun activists. Jaclyn Corin #WHATIFpic.twitter.com/wpUsRVzevG— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) February 26, 2018 Jaclyn Corin, a junior-class president who appears barefoot on the Time cover, lost her friend Joaquin Oliver in the Parkland mass shooting. The 17-year-old, who wrote a 50-page research paper on gun control last year, became an anti-gun activist the day after the shooting and is a prominent member of the Never Again movement. Her video using the hashtag #whatif to create debate about gun control and posted by fellow Parkland survivors has garnered more than 1.5 million views. Shooting survivor Jaclyn Corin meets with the House Speaker Paul Ryan in the US Capitol in Washington Credit: Reuters “What if politicians valued children’s lives, not dollars?” she asked. “What if 19-year-old’s didn’t have access to weapons of war?” Ms Corin also organised a trip with 100 of her fellow students to meet lawmakers to discuss gun legislation in Tallahassee. Cameron Kasky The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Credit: AP Cameron Kasky is one of the founding members of the Never Again movement, coining the name and posting it as a hashtag on Facebook. He invited friends to his house after the shooting to discuss what they could do to make a meaningful difference on gun control. The 17-year-old junior has given more than 50 interviews since the shooting and asked Senator Marco Rubio live on CNN: “Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?” WATCH & SHARE Stoneman Douglas Student Cameron Kasky asks Marco Rubio whether he will pledge not to take any more NRA money #CNNTownHall#StudentsStandUp#NoNRAMoney#AMJoypic.twitter.com/yYEdYRjGan— #LaquanMcDonald (@ifuaskmee) February 24, 2018 Senator Rubio responded: “I will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda.” In an op-ed for CNN, Kasky wrote: “We can't ignore the issues of gun control that this tragedy raises. And so, I'm asking -no, demanding – we take action now.” Alex Wind Alex Wind speaks during a rally in advance of Saturday's March for Our Lives event Credit: Reuters Alex Wind joined Kasky at his home in the hours following the shooting where they founded the Never Again movement. He urged Mr Trump to “make stricter gun control laws” on Twitter after the president offered “prayers and condolences” to families of the victims. Make stricter gun control laws then t.co/UH9VGlX8XK— Alex Wind (@al3xw1nd) February 14, 2018 In an interview with CNN, Wind admitted he was “terrified” of returning to school following the tragedy. “I want change to happen so badly, I don’t want to feel unsafe in my own school,” he said. March For Our Lives The students will be leading the March For Our Lives protests on 24 March, as protesters take to the streets of Washington DC to demand action to end gun violence and mass shootings in schools. Tens of thousands of students will also be campaigning in cities across the US and in six continents this weekend. Mass shootings have become more frequent in the US “People are saying that it’s not time to talk about gun control, and we can respect that,” said Kasky announcing the march. “Here’s a time: March 24, in every single city marching together as students begging for our lives.” Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Demi Lovato and Common are due to be among performers at Saturday's main march.
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Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz wants to donate his inheritance — which could run to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more — to the bereaved families and survivors of his attack, his lawyers said Wednesday. Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the south Florida city of Parkland on February 14 and opened fire at students and staff with an AR-15-style semi-automatic weapon. At a court hearing on Wednesday, Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer sought to determine whether Cruz — who has so far been represented by public defenders — is able to pay for his own defense.
