蜜桃影视

When a gunman took over his school, student-journalist David Hogg knew it was a moment he should document. Hiding in a closet with classmates as a former student stalked the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15, Hogg took out his phone to what was happening. Within a few days of the February 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17, he and his friends were tweeting about their grief, rage, and plans for action.

In the process, Hogg and his classmates began to change the rules about how we talk about mass shootings in the U.S. The power of the movement is underscored by tomorrow鈥檚 national walkout, in which students from around the country will cut class in what is expected to be one of the largest student demonstrations since the Vietnam War.

In the weeks since the incident, the Parkland students have amassed thousands of followers on Twitter. Just two weeks after she created her account, Emma Gonz谩lez, one of the most visible, had as the official account for the National Rifle Association. The students鈥� #NeverAgain movement has gained endorsements and donations from the likes of , , and . Their national page had raised more than $3.2 million at the time of publication.

In addition to tomorrow鈥檚 walkout, students, with help from national and local organizations, are planning a March on Washington scheduled for March 24 and another national school walkout on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

Already, it has become common for observers to note that something 鈥渇eels different鈥� this time about the national dialogue around guns. Media attention on the issue has .

Sen. Jeff Flake, a moderate Republican from Arizona who is not seeking re-election, has said Republicans must grapple with the issue in a new way.

鈥淭his shooting was different,鈥� . Due in large part to 鈥渉igh school kids who have been very articulate,鈥� he said: 鈥淲e seem to have crossed the Rubicon.”

The students鈥� activism is strengthened by a facility with Twitter and other social media that comes from spending an average of nearly (not including time spent on schoolwork) using technology. Plus, they鈥檙e coming of age in the Trump era, when tweets regularly make the front page of The New York Times, and in the midst of the #MeToo movement, which stripped Hollywood moguls and TV personalities of their power seemingly overnight.

The student-activists are funny. They鈥檙e .

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And they鈥檙e willing to stand up to powerful figures, as they did last week when Education Secretary Betsy DeVos visited Stoneman Douglas.

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They鈥檝e proposed an and urged measures, using words that parents who lost children in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, were told .

But some caveats are in order: Despite the student outcry, legislators in Florida and in Washington, D.C., have thus far resisted enacting sweeping policy changes on guns. With students watching from the gallery, the Republican-controlled Florida House declined,聽days after the Parkland shooting, to take up a . State lawmakers have passed that authorizes arming some school employees, adds a waiting period for firearms purchases, and raises the minimum age requirement for buying guns. The package also includes funding for resource officers, mental health services, and safety programs in schools.

The students鈥� strongest impact may be on the private sector. More than 20 corporations have with the NRA in what 鈥渁 perfect storm of articulate student outrage and savvy online activism.鈥� Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods and , both major gun retailers, announced they would stop selling 鈥渁ssault-style rifles鈥� and would stop selling guns to anyone under 21 years old, regardless of local and federal laws.

In addition to being articulate and demanding, the Parkland students are used to being seen: in live-streamed video on Facebook, on a friend鈥檚 , and in photos on Instagram 鈥� making them less reluctant than previous generations might have been to appear on national news so soon and so frequently after a national tragedy. (Some of the student leaders also have experience with and broadcasting, which certainly helps.)

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Along the way, they have absorbed lessons about how to focus media attention. Just a few days after losing 17 members of their school community, they let a Buzzfeed News reporter into their (really, a family living room in their affluent South Florida neighborhood).

They appear undeterred by internet trolls. Research shows that about a third of teens have been cyberbullied and even more have seen it happening online, so receiving negative attention online was likely not a surprise.

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Hogg, the student-journalist, even thanked those spreading conspiracy theories accusing him of being a crisis actor, saying they are 鈥� for his cause.

Despite their newfound fame as high-profile activists, the students continue to remind followers that they鈥檙e still kids 鈥� comfortable retweeting memes and pictures of dogs when they鈥檙e not organizing trips to meet legislators or confronting Sen. Marco Rubio on live television.

Other factors are contributing to their outsize role in the national conversation on guns. The Parkland students are well-off and highly educated. Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah praised them for using their affluence 鈥渋n the best possible way鈥� to disrupt the gun control debate and demand answers from adults.

鈥淭his is people using their privilege 鈥� because these kids are like, 鈥楴o, I don鈥檛 accept this world,鈥� . 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing when you combine resources and point of view.鈥�

Perhaps aware of their outsize role, Parkland survivors recently met with who have faced regular gun violence but without the media spotlight. Gonz谩lez, one of the student leaders in Parkland, said the Chicago students 鈥渇ace gun violence on a level that we have only just glimpsed from our gated communities.鈥�

, Gonz谩lez attempts to distill the Parkland students鈥� message for adults:

If I鈥檓 able to communicate one thing to adults it would be this: it should not be easier to purchase a gun than it is to obtain a driver鈥檚 license, and military grade weapons should not be accessible in civilian settings. You don鈥檛 drive a NASCAR on the street, no matter how fun it might be, just like you don鈥檛 need an AR-15 to protect yourself when walking home at night. No one does.

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