Florida Students Rally to Preserve Gun Restrictions \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Florida students impacted by the Parkland and recent FSU shootings are urging lawmakers to uphold existing gun control laws. With the legislative session nearing its end, activists fear rollbacks that could endanger communities. Survivors say the laws passed after Parkland saved lives.
Quick Looks
- Background: Parkland and FSU shootings renew push for gun laws
- Student Voices: Survivors call on lawmakers to maintain restrictions
- Legislative Threat: Bill proposed to lower gun-buying age to 18
- Recent Tragedy: Two killed, six wounded at FSU shooting
- Parkland Legacy: 2018 laws raised gun-buying age to 21
- Red Flag Law: Florida courts can disarm dangerous individuals
- Shooter’s Weapon: Handgun reportedly belonged to suspect’s stepmother
- Senate Response: Emotional plea by Sen. Corey Simon for victims
- Democratic Pushback: Gun control bills stalled in GOP-led Capitol
- Rallying Cry: Students and lawmakers demand political courage
Deep Look
Just five years after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre shocked Florida and the nation, another tragedy has reignited calls for stronger gun laws. This time, it was the Florida State University shooting, which killed two people and wounded six others — prompting survivors of both tragedies to come together and demand action from lawmakers in Tallahassee.
Their urgent appeal: Don’t undo the progress made after Parkland.
Student Activism Returns to the Capitol
At the heart of the renewed movement is Stephanie Horowitz, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting and now a graduate student at FSU. In a statement, Horowitz emphasized the emotional toll of reliving another school shooting and the frustration of pleading with politicians again.
“No one should ever have to experience a school shooting — let alone two — just to have to beg lawmakers to care enough to stop the next one,” she said.
As survivors and student activists gathered on the steps of Florida’s historic Capitol on Wednesday, their message was clear: Protect the laws passed after Parkland and reject efforts to roll back age limits and safety measures.
Parkland’s Impact and the Laws at Risk
The 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead and 17 others wounded. It was followed by an unprecedented advocacy campaign led by survivors and families, which led to the most significant gun reform legislation in Florida in decades.
Those reforms included:
- A red flag law, allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat
- Raising the minimum gun-buying age from 18 to 21
- Implementing waiting periods and increasing mental health funding in schools
These measures passed under a Republican-led legislature, a rarity in deeply divided Florida politics.
But now, those same laws are under threat. A bill passed by the Florida House would lower the minimum gun-buying age back to 18 — though it has stalled in the state Senate, especially after the FSU shooting.
The FSU Shooting: A Sobering Reminder
On April 18, a shooting unfolded on FSU’s campus, just a mile from the state Capitol. According to investigators, a 20-year-old student, Phoenix Ikner, opened fire, killing two and injuring six others.
Ikner is currently hospitalized and has not yet been formally charged, though officials say charges will be filed upon his release. Investigators revealed that the handgun used was the former service weapon of his stepmother, a sheriff’s deputy.
Under current Florida law, Ikner could not have legally purchased a rifle from a licensed dealer due to the age restriction implemented after Parkland.
Logan Rubenstein, now a junior at FSU, was in eighth grade during the Parkland massacre. He said there’s no doubt in his mind that the reforms passed in 2018 helped mitigate the FSU tragedy.
“It wasn’t as deadly as it could have been. And to me, that’s because of the laws we passed after Parkland,” he said.
Rubenstein is among the growing number of students urging lawmakers to have the political courage to stand by the laws that have already saved lives.
Emotional Appeals on the Senate Floor
Even some Republican lawmakers have shown visible emotion in the wake of the FSU shooting. State Senator Corey Simon, a former FSU football star who now represents the Tallahassee area, fought back tears on the Senate floor.
“I rise and ask for a moment of silence for my Seminole family,” he said, his voice breaking. “As we mourn those lost and the many lives that have been changed forever.”
The victim identities were later confirmed. Among them was Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old food service worker and father of two from South Carolina. Chabba had been on FSU’s campus working for Aramark at the time of the shooting.
His funeral is scheduled for Friday in Greenville.
Gun Control Bills Face Uphill Battle
Despite the outcry, efforts to pass new gun control measures in Florida remain an uphill climb. The statehouse is controlled by a Republican supermajority, and Democratic-sponsored bills to strengthen gun laws have not received hearings this session.
State Senator Tina Polsky, whose district includes Parkland, has been among the most vocal advocates. At Wednesday’s rally, she begged her Republican colleagues to act.
“I am begging them to do something like we did after the horrific Parkland shooting,” Polsky said. “I don’t know if it’s going to happen. But we will continue to fight.”
Students Mobilize Ahead of May 2 Deadline
With the legislative session set to end on May 2, student organizers are working overtime to meet with lawmakers, aides, and committee members.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, encouraged the students not to give up.
“They have the power to waive the rules and agenda whatever bills they want,” Eskamani said of the Republican leadership. “We’re not trying to make this political. We are trying to save lives.”
As activists fill the Capitol halls, the question remains whether the pleas of a new generation of survivors will be enough to keep Florida’s post-Parkland laws intact.
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