The victims and survivors of the Parkland school shooting have stepped up in a big way. They’re calling out complacent adults, pressuring politicians, and leading a new movement for stronger gun control laws. Unfortunately, Republicans would rather smear kids who survived a mass shooting than engage in a good faith debate about gun control.
If you’ve been paying attention to the news coming out of Parkland, FL you may have seen some pretty impressive teens calling for stronger gun control:
A speech from Stoneman Douglas High School student Emma Gonzalez went viral in the days after the Parkland massacre, but it was just the most visible part of a growing movement of student activists in response to the latest shooting.
Because right-wing media is terrified of any actual progress on gun control, rumors started bubbling up on Twitter that maybe these impressive teens are a little TOO impressive.
GOP now claiming Florida was some kind of hoax, or something. This is a rather prominent conservative Twitter personality claiming the kids speaking out after their school was shot up are somehow faking their appearances. What happened to the Republican Party? https://t.co/LhtwoTfGVp
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) February 19, 2018
It’s quite interesting that the children survivors haven’t even buried their friends, grieve, get over shock but have had the time to plan for a march, come up with a creative hashtag, get their story to all media outlets all in such a short amount time..... #MarchForOurLives
— Kambree Kawahine Koa (@KamVTV) February 18, 2018
Democrats have planned this all. This is what they have done for decades. They think we are stupid in how they operate but actually them using children as pawns will BACKFIRE in Nov like it did in 2016. Game over.
— Kambree Kawahine Koa (@KamVTV) February 18, 2018
The vile alt-right smear site, Gateway Pundit published a story claiming this was all a “deep state” plot.
Gateway Pundit going after high school student journalist who survived — and covered — last week’s mass shooting. pic.twitter.com/u6UAcLMcLj
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) February 19, 2018
We’re attacking survivors of school shootings now? https://t.co/YYA6r1l2Cl
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) February 19, 2018
We're pointing out that his father was in the FBI (something being ignored by many) and that much of his rhetoric is obviously rehearsed/coached (as the video shows). He went from citizen to public media figure when he started this anti-Trump/anti-gun campaign, as you well know. https://t.co/7W7KNmWuch
— Lucian B. Wintrich (@lucianwintrich) February 19, 2018
He’s obviously coached! Look how he’s speaking in complete sentences and not sputtering like some kind of Fox News host after too many Keurig cups! By the way, Gateway Pundit got the scoop that this kid’s dad was in the FBI by… listening to the kid say it out loud on CNN unprompted. Guess he wasn’t coached well enough not to blow the big deep state plot, huh?
This isn’t the first time Gateway Pundit has tried to gaslight people after a national tragedy.
Gateway Pundit is currently being sued for falsely reporting a Michigan teen was the Charlottesville car killer https://t.co/6U70nfu5zo
— andrew kaczynski? (@KFILE) February 20, 2018