For the first time since 17 people were killed, students and teachers returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Monday, 26 February, consoling each other even as they called for swift action to address gun violence.
"Imagine (being) in a plane crash and then having to get on the same plane every day and fly somewhere else -- it's never going to be the same," David Hogg, a survivor of the 14 February shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, told ABC television's "This Week."
One teacher who had already been back, told NPR radio that the shock of returning to a classroom left exactly as it had been during the attack -- notebooks still on desks, the calendar still set to 14 February, made her so physically ill she had to leave.
But Cameron Kasky, a student who survived the attack, tweeted a picture of people on campus, saying: "It is GOOD TO BE HOME."
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School also received support from alumni, with former students making banners to decorate the school, WSVN news reported.
Amid ardent demands for action, by students, President Donald Trump has said he is open to raising the minimum age for gun purchases, and to banning so-called bump stocks, which effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into automatic firearms.
Speaking at the Governors’ Ball ahead of meetings with top officials from all 50 states on Monday, Trump said that school safety is a top priority.
A new CNN poll, conducted a week after the Florida shooting, shows surging public support for stricter gun laws, surpassing levels seen even after other horrific shootings in recent years, and for a ban on powerful semi-automatic weapons like the AR-15 used in Parkland.
Overall, 70 percent of those surveyed said they supported stricter gun laws, up from 52 percent in October, and 57 percent favored a ban on semi-automatic arms, an increase from 49 per cent.
The age change and "red flag" law have been staunchly opposed by the influential National Rifle Association, of which Scott is a member.
Scott, who holds the NRA's highest rating of A+, noted on "Fox News Sunday" that “there will be some that disagree. But... I want my state to be safe.” Trump had Scott stand up to applause on Sunday, telling him: "You're doing a great job." Florida was also the scene of a June 2016 shooting at an Orlando nightclub that left 49 people dead.
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