NRA host criticizes Parkland students ahead of ‘March For Our Lives’

A host for the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) broadcast arm NRATV criticized survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting in a video ahead of the “March for Our Lives” protests against gun violence Saturday.

Colion Noir, an NRATV YouTube host, told viewers in his video Friday that he wished the Maryland high school resource officer who shot and killed an armed student during a shooting this week had been at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the day of the shooting. Noir addressed the Parkland survivors, saying “nobody would know your names” if their classmates were still alive.

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“To all the kids from Parkland getting ready to use your First Amendment to attack everyone else’s Second Amendment at your march on Saturday, I wish a hero like [Officer] Blaine Gaskill had been at Marjory Douglas High School last month because your classmates would still be alive and no one would know your names, because the media would have completely and utterly ignored your story, the way they ignored his,” Noir said.

“They’re running Season 5 of their gun-control reality show, featuring the freshest cast of characters yet in their modern march on Washington,” he went on. “Except this time for less freedom. These kids ought to be marching against their own hypocritical belief structure.”

The NRA and politicians associated with the gun lobby have become top targets for Parkland students seeking gun law reform in response to the shooting, who have accused the organization of having undue control over members of Congress that stifles gun legislation from passing.

Gaskill was lauded as a hero this week by Maryland authorities after police say the school resource officer shot and killed Austin Wyatt Rollins, who shot his ex-girlfriend and another student.

Maryland’s Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday’s shooting should be a “call to action” to protect schools in the state.

“Although our pain remains fresh and the facts remain uncertain, today’s horrible events should not be an excuse to pause our conversation about school safety. Instead, it must serve as a call to action,” he said in a statement.