This week, we devoted the full program to the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The incident, which took place on February 14, 2018, helped spark a national youth protest movement to stop gun violence in America. In the last year, March for Our Lives has attracted more than 1 million protesters to rallies across the country. The movement has also turned its focus to voter registration and turnout, resulting in more young people voting, more gun control advocates getting elected to Congress, and a background check bill that’s moving through the U.S. House of Representatives.
Here in Florida, one of the most gun-friendly states in the union, a law has been passed that increased the legal age to buy a rifle from 18 to 21, bump stocks have been banned, and activists are now seeking a 2020 ballot initiative to ban assault weapons. Meanwhile, in the Florida Senate, there’s a proposal to arm teachers in the classroom.
We took a closer look at all of this with:
- Ana Ceballos, News Service of Florida
- Andrew Atterbury, Politico
- Representative Anna Eskamani
- Ryan Dailey of WFSU
- BAWN Chairwoman Gail Schwartz
