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15th Feb 2018

17-year-old Florida shooting survivor makes powerful plea to “take action” over America’s gun control laws

"We're children, you guys are the adults"

Simon Lloyd

“We’re children, you guys are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role.”

19-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on Wednesday.

As America attempts to come to terms with the massacre, the issue of the country’s gun control laws is – once again – very much in the spotlight.

Not even 24 hours after the shooting, the words of 17-year-old student, David Hogg, one of the survivors, were being widely shared across social media.

Interviewed by CNN outside the school the morning after the massacre, David made a powerful plea for the country’s adults to “take action” regarding the existing gun laws to make sure further tragedies were prevented.

“What we really need is action,” he said. “We can say ‘yes we’re going to do all these things, thoughts and prayers,’ but what we need more than that is action.”

“Please. This is the 18th one this year. That’s unacceptable.

“We’re children, you guys are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, come over your politics and get something done.”

Though as he points out, David is just a child. His words, however, appear to have already resonated with many.