The survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting massacre met with legislators and spoke to huge crowds in Tallahassee, Florida on Wednesday, advocating in the state’s capitol for gun control legislation to prevent future mass shootings.
One student, Lorenzo Prado, joined other survivors in rejecting the narrative that the massacre was the fault of the alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, alone.
“Many would like to blame this event on the FBI’s lack of action or the Trump administration, but the simple fact is that the laws of our beloved country allowed for the deranged gunman to purchase a gun legally,” Prado said.
He eulogized Nicholas Dworet, a Stoneman Douglas senior at the time of his death who Prado described as an ever-smiling swim team mentor and who, a week before his death, had committed to attending the University of Indianapolis “so he could chase his dream of becoming an Olympian,” Prado said.
“But that is a dream he can no longer achieve because Nikolas Cruz abhorrently decided to take Nicholas Dworet’s life,” Prado said.
He continued: “But we can’t just blame Nikolas Cruz for this tragedy, because the laws of our country allowed him to purchase a weapon. Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle before he was able to drink beer. Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle, although he had clear signs of mental illness. Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle with clear signs of delinquency from the school. Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle with the intention to kill.”
Watch below:
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— Matt Shuham (@mattshuham) February 21, 2018