'We're not backing down': One month after shooting, Parkland student movement picking up steam

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: #NeverAgain Student Movement Jaclyn Corin, 17, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, speaks about the student trip she organized with 100 of her fellow classmates to meet with lawmakers in Tallahassee on Tuesday and why it's so important to the #NeverAgain movement.

Just a few weeks ago, Jaclyn Corin was dreading her AP biology test. Now, the 17-year-old high school junior is at the vanguard of a student movement rocking the nation.

It has been one month since the Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland, Fla., that took the lives of 17 of Corin 's classmates and teachers. But from the tragedy, she and other students rose up and have become advocates who say they won't stop until their demands are met.

Between school walkouts — a nationwide one is planned Wednesday — letter-writing campaigns and marches planned in every state, a new generation has taken the reins in the debate about firearms, gun violence and school safety. And they say this is just the beginning.

"This shooting was a horrible tragedy," Corin says. "But we can't just be sorry and dwell in the sadness. We have to try to make change, and we have to honor the 17 people we lost. We have to do this, and we will."

Corin and about 20 others, who rally around the message of #NeverAgain, have seemingly surprised everyone. Last month, the students were huddling under desks as a gunman terrorized their school. Now, they're battling the National Rifle Association on national television and planning a march set to attract 500,000 people later this month.

Within the four weeks of the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the efforts have led to change, and the movement shows no signs of ebbing. Consider:

Students across the country are planning to walk out of their schools on Wednesday at 10 a.m. — marking one month since the attack in Florida. Students at more than 2,800 schools are planning to participate.

A march is scheduled for March 24 in Washington, D.C., that's estimated to bring about 500,000 people to the city. More than 580 sister marches are planned. Every state has at least one march, and events are planned throughout Europe and as far as India and Japan.

Also on March 24, students in Wisconsin are planning to hold a four-day march to House Speaker Paul Ryan's hometown, Janesville. Organizers say they hope the 50-mile march will urge Ryan to enact gun reforms.

Another round of school walkouts is planned on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting that left 13 dead. More than 250,000 people have signed a petition to participate.

The students have used their newfound following on social media to single out companies that had partnerships with the NRA. In the past four weeks, more than a dozen companies have cut ties with the organization.

Florida lawmakers passed a comprehensive bill last week that took on school safety and guns, including raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law Friday.

Students across the country are writing letters to elected officials and signing petitions that aim to curb sales of high-powered rifles, including the AR-15, a rifle that has been used in many of the nation's deadliest shootings. Another petition asks Amazon to remove NRAtv from its streaming services.

The #NeverAgain movement has joined forces with other groups. Some Parkland students met with teens in Chicago about the gun violence that has plagued the city for years. Organizers from the Women's March also are helping coordinate efforts by the students.

What you need to know about the nationwide student walkout Students across the United States are planning to walk out of their classrooms to protest congressional inaction on gun control.

Merrit Jones, an executive director at Student Voice, a non-profit dedicated to empowering students to make change, says the movement is paving the way for a new group of student advocates across the country.

"These students have been inspiring to watch, and even if other students don't necessarily agree with their cause, many feel more willing to speak out and get involved," Jones says. "I think everyone will be even more shocked in the future."

Not everyone is behind the same message. Kyle Kashuv, a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, doesn't believe gun control is the right answer and says he's sticking up for the Second Amendment.

He has clashed with fellow classmates on Twitter over thoughts on the NRA and high-powered rifles.

"They want to be activists," he said on Twitter. . "Activism is great, but gun control just won't pass in this government and should NEVER pass."

The 17-year-old conservative met with Washington lawmakers across both sides of the aisle and laid out bipartisan solutions, including increasing school safety and an idea for a smartphone app that allows students struggling to reach out to other students.

One of the highlights of his trip to the nation's capital included meeting President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

Corin says she wants more young people to get involved even if they disagree with her stance on issues such as gun law changes.

Since the shooting, she hasn't let much slow her down. She gave up binge-watching Netflix and her usual bedtime of 8:30 p.m. to spend her free time at an office she and the others set up to plan this month's March for Our Lives. She says it's comforting to be around the others.

"This is how I'm coping," she says. "Staying busy and having a mission is keeping me strong."

Within days, Corin coordinated a trip for students to visit with lawmakers in Florida's capital to demand stricter gun laws. Hundreds also gathered to protest in South Florida, where fellow student Emma Gonzalez gave a speech that called out the NRA, lawmakers and Trump.

Soon, a core group of about 20 students and alumni organized.

More: Emma Gonzalez survived the Florida shooting. Now she’s taking on Trump and the NRA.

More: Students plan to walk out of schools to protest gun laws

More: #NeverAgain: 'This generation ... the next generation will never have to worry about this.'

Students have always played a role in protests. They took a stand during the civil rights movement, protested the Vietnam War and advocated for women's rights. The Parkland teens are the latest generation to make a stand against the status quo.

Many times, a movement is born from one group feeling persecuted and asking for change. The students in Parkland have attracted those who represent a broad spectrum of people across races, nationalities, sexual orientations and even causes, which could lead to long-term success, says Meira Levinson, a Harvard University education professor who focuses on youth empowerment and civic education.

"The way these things have been treated and looked at, it's almost like one group who is asking for special treatment or asking to be treated differently," Levinson says. "What's striking about this movement is that everyone can recognize themselves in these kids, and that is really crossing boundaries."

But the big challenge, Levinson says, will be the future.

Parkland students are creating a non-profit that will advocate for gun-control laws and voter education for young people. But civic activism is in many ways thankless work: long hours, little pay and time-consuming, says Levinson, who adds that the students are still kids who have school and college to think about and deserve some level of normalcy.

Corin ended up canceling tours she had planned at several universities. She always thought she'd study to be a nurse, but now she doesn't know where her future will take her. Perhaps political science or journalism, she says.

She has a huge responsibility now and feels people are counting on her.

"We have this power now where people listen to us and people are intimidated of us," Corin says. "I feel like that is what's going to push me forward."

After watching lawmakers pass gun control measures in Florida, she says, "none of this would have happened without me or my friends."

"We did all of this within a few weeks. It just gives me the impression we can do a lot more," she says. "We're not backing down, either."

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