A survivor's message to Congress: "We are too young to vote, but soon we will be able to vote, and we will vote you out." https://t.co/JGatlxDhae
— Meg Wagner (@megwagner) February 21, 2018
A student who survived last week’s Florida high school shooting is issuing a stern warning to Congress if lawmakers don’t take action: When we’re old enough to vote, we’ll vote you out.
During a Wednesday rally in front of the Florida state Capitol, Florence Yared said Congress is “directly responsible for every community that has lost people to gun violence.”
“And you have the power to change this. And if you don’t, then we will change you,” the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student said to cheers.
{mosads}”We are too young to vote, but soon we will be able to vote, and we will vote you out.”
Yared added that many young Americans can’t wait to be able to vote and run for office to “make a change” and “make a safer world.”
“You adults have failed us,” she said. “So we, the next generation, will not fail our own kids.”
“If you do not take action now, then we, the future leaders of America, will,” she added.
Students who survived the Parkland, Fla., shooting are rallying Wednesday both in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C., to demand action on gun control.
Since the shooting, which left 17 people dead, students across the country have become vocal advocates for reducing gun violence.
Students have organized walkouts in recent days as a call to action and show of solidarity.
They are also planning a march next month in D.C. to protest against gun violence.
President Trump has signaled a willingness to support some new gun control provisions, such as improving the national background-check system and banning bump stocks, which are used to make guns fire more rapidly.
But it remains to be seen if Congress will move forward with any new restrictions.
On Tuesday, Florida lawmakers killed a motion to consider a ban on assault weapons and large capacity magazines.