It has been a year since seventeen people were shot and killed by an ex-student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Florida. While many around the world celebrate the day of love or Valentine's day, families of the students and others who lost their lives in the unfortunate event mourn for their loved ones.
Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas held a non-academic day devoted to commemoration of lives lost in the incident. Comfort dogs and mental health professionals were available throughout the day to comfort students. The city also sponsored a day of service at a park near the school.
Urgency for new gun restrictions seems to have declined. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, 71 per cent of Americans wanted laws around sale of firearms to be stricter, now the number is 51 per cent. There are partisan, age and racial divides as well, where more Republicans were less likely than Democrats to support gun restrictions. Also, non-whites wanted gun violence to be a priority in the Congress.
Schools across the country marked the Parkland anniversary with art projects or statements. The Buffalo Teachers Federation in New York encouraged people to wear bright orange, as hunters do for safety, and hold a moment of silence. Boardman High School in Ohio held a shooter drill that was designed help students feel safer. President Donald Trump said: "Today, as we hold in our hearts each of those lost a year ago in Parkland, let us declare together, as Americans, that we will not rest until our schools are secure and our communities are safe."
Former president Barack Obama took to Twitter to praise the survivors. He noted everything accomplished by the students in the past year. “the students of Parkland refused to settle for the way things are.” Instead, the students “marched, organized, and pushed for the way things should be—helping pass meaningful new gun violence laws in states across the country. I’m proud of all them,” he tweeted.
