Several students from the Florida school attacked by a gunman in February are responding to criticism from Republican lawmaker Rep. Steve King (Iowa) by warning him they will help vote him out of office.
King suggested on Monday that the high school activists who believe the minimum age requirement to buy a gun should be raised to 21 shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
“If you are a teenager & believe you won’t be responsible enough to own a gun until 21, why should you vote before 21?”
{mosads} Jaclyn Corin, one of the students from Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Fla., suggested the students would work to organize opposition to King ahead of this fall’s midterm election.
“We’re gonna vote you out, Steve,” she tweeted.
A number of the Parkland students helped organize last weekend’s march for gun control in Washington, and several have become well-known activists for new restrictions on firearms.
David Hogg, one of the best-known of the Parkland students, accused King of seeking to divide people.
Hogg also wanted to know “who’s running against this guy.”
King’s opponent, Democrat J.D. Scholten, also took to twitter to express his outrage at King “picking fights with teenagers.”
“If you’re the Representative of #IA04 why are you picking fights with teenagers when your district is anxiously awaiting the Farm Bill? Or maybe try to find solutions to the recent Chinese tariffs on pork and soybeans? #Options #DoYourJob”
Scholten has been actively tweeting his support for the Parkland students backing gun control.
King on Sunday criticized Parkland student Emma González for wearing a Cuban flag patch on her jacket. González gave one of the weekend’s most memorable speeches.
“This is how you look when you claim Cuban heritage yet don’t speak Spanish and ignore the fact that your ancestors fled the island when the dictatorship turned Cuba into a prison camp, after removing all weapons from its citizens; hence their right to self defense,” King’s Facebook post said.
Hogg called on Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to respond to King’s remark.