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Florida student: I’m not a crisis actor, I’m someone who had to live through this

by Rebecca Savransky - 02/21/18 7:34 AM ET

"I’m not a crisis actor. I’m somebody that had to witness this and live through this and I continue to have to do that," says Florida student David Hogg in response to conspiracy theories being written about him https://t.co/JruN0GWMRD https://t.co/j8VoIwj4ma

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) February 21, 2018

A Florida student who survived the deadly high school shooting last week is pushing back on conspiracy theories, saying he is not a “crisis actor” but someone who had to live through the tragedy.

“I’m not a crisis actor,” David Hogg said during an interview Tuesday on CNN.

“I’m someone who had to witness this and live through this and I continue to be having to do that.”

He added: “I’m not acting on anybody’s behalf.”

Hogg also said he doesn’t “want to take a constitutional right away from American citizens.”

“We have a right to live just as we have a right to bear arms,” he said. {mosads}

Hogg and other students who survived the shooting in which 17 people were killed have become vocal advocates in recent days for gun control, demanding that lawmakers take action.

Students are traveling to the Florida state capital to rally Wednesday for lawmakers to act. Students also planned a march later this year in Washington, D.C., to protest gun violence.

Since students began speaking out, they have become the subjects of various conspiracy theories.

On Tuesday, a Florida state lawmaker’s aide was fired hours after falsely claiming two survivors of the shooting who had appeared on television were actors.

Benjamin Kelly, an aide to state Rep. Shawn Harrison (R), emailed a Tampa Bay Times reporter after Hogg and Emma Gonzalez appeared on CNN to call for legislation to stop gun violence.

According to Tampa Bay Times reporter Alex Leary, the staffer said, “Both kids in the picture are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen.”

The comments drew condemnation from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), as well as Harrison, who said the comments don’t reflect his views and that Kelly had been placed on leave.

About an hour later, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R) tweeted that he fired Kelly.

Tags Marco Rubio