Students from high school targeted in mass shooting criticize GOP reaction

Several students at the Florida high school where a gunman killed nearly 20 people Wednesday took to social media in the aftermath of the shooting to criticize Republican leaders and media personalities for their response to the United States’ latest mass shooting

Most of the student’s anger was directed at President Trump. On Thursday morning, Trump suggested that the suspected shooter was “mentally disturbed” and should’ve been reported to police more, but made no mention of potential gun control measures.

Some students at the school criticized Trump on social media, with one telling Trump to be quiet “unless you are going to do something about gun control.”

why was a student able to terrorize my school mr president https://t.co/rwDRYz3ayx

— nikki (@nikta04) February 14, 2018

Unless you are going to do something about gun control so no one else experiences what my school has, shut the fuck up. https://t.co/9i8Yr2233L

— Morgan Williams (@morganw_44) February 15, 2018

Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning after authorities said he opened fire in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than a dozen others.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Cruz legally purchased the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle he allegedly used in the shooting. Cruz had been kicked out of the school and flagged as a threat.

The students also responded to conservative media personality and Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren, who pushed back on calls for gun control after the shooting by writing that it “isn’t about a gun it’s about another lunatic.”

“I was hiding a closet for 2 hours,” one student responded on Twitter. “It was about guns.”

A gun has killed 17 of my fellow classmates. A gun has traumatized my friends. My entire school, traumatized from this tragedy. This could have been prevented. Please stfu tomi https://t.co/qNo03ZE3Ev

— kyra (@longlivekcx) February 15, 2018

I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was about guns. You weren’t there, you don’t know how it felt. Guns give these disgusting people the ability to kill other human beings. This IS about guns and this is about all the people who had their life abruptly ended because of guns. https://t.co/XnzhvuN1zd

— carly (@car_nove) February 15, 2018

it is actually about guns u witch from hell https://t.co/mva3qYu0Tc

— nikki (@nikta04) February 15, 2018

A number of students and teachers from the school did interviews late Wednesday in which they called on Congress to act to curb gun violence.

“He really needs to take into consideration gun control. There’s no reason that a kid, 19 years old that’s been investigated already, and not even a year ago, being able to purchase an AR-15.”

Watch Sophomore Isabella Gomez respond to President Trump pic.twitter.com/64yh5JbFUJ

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 15, 2018