Parkland and FSU shooting survivors urge Florida lawmakers to uphold gun laws

UF students rally demanding gun reform after FSU shooting

Students at the University of Florida rallied Wednesday demanding gun reform after the tragic mass shooting that took place at Florida State University last week. FOX 35's Caroline Coles has the latest from Gainesville.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Students impacted by both the Parkland and recent FSU shootings are urging Florida lawmakers to preserve and strengthen gun laws.

‘No one should ever have to experience a school shooting’

What we know:

Following last week’s deadly shooting at Florida State University (FSU), student activists — many of whom were also affected by the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — are urging lawmakers to maintain and strengthen Florida's gun control laws. The renewed advocacy effort comes as the Republican-controlled legislature considers rolling back some of the reforms enacted in the wake of the Parkland tragedy.

Two people were killed, and six others injured in the FSU shooting. The suspect, a 20-year-old student identified as Phoenix Ikner, remains hospitalized and has not yet been formally charged. Investigators say he used a handgun that once belonged to his stepmother, a sheriff’s deputy.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not detailed Ikner's motives for the FSU shooting, and it’s unclear how he accessed the firearm or whether warning signs were missed. While the suspect couldn't legally purchase a rifle under current Florida law, the process by which he came into possession of the handgun is still under investigation.

It also remains uncertain whether the recent events will influence any legislative changes before the current session ends on May 2. Although the Florida House passed a bill to lower the minimum age for purchasing firearms to 18, its future in the Senate is now in question.

The backstory:

In 2018, following the Parkland shooting that killed 17 people, Florida passed a sweeping gun reform bill with bipartisan support. The law included raising the minimum age to purchase firearms to 21 and implementing red flag laws to allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat.

This response was driven in large part by student-led activism that mobilized nationwide and changed the political conversation around gun violence. Many of those same voices are now rallying once again — this time as college students — to protect those hard-won policies.

What they're saying:

Florida’s current political climate is testing the durability of post-Parkland reforms. With Republicans holding a supermajority in both chambers, Democrats and activists are facing an uphill battle to pass or even get hearings on new gun control proposals.

The emotional weight of repeated school shootings is fueling a renewed movement among students, who view the recent violence not as isolated incidents but as a symptom of broader legislative inaction.

"No one should ever have to experience a school shooting — let alone two — just to have to beg lawmakers to care enough to stop the next one," said Stephanie Horowitz, a survivor of the Parkland shooting and now a graduate student at FSU.

"It wasn’t as deadly as it could have been," said FSU junior Logan Rubenstein. "And to me, that’s because of the laws that we passed after Parkland."

"When it comes to life and death, it’s important to do the right thing," Rubenstein added, urging lawmakers to resist repealing the state’s gun restrictions.

"Today I rise and ask for a moment of silence for my Seminole family, as we mourn those lost and the many lives that have been changed forever," said Republican Sen. Corey Simon, visibly emotional on the Senate floor.

"I am begging them to do something like we did after the horrific Parkland shooting," said Democratic Sen. Tina Polsky at a rally outside the Capitol.

"We’re not trying to make this political. We are trying to save lives," added Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani, encouraging student activists to keep pressing lawmakers.

What's next:

The Tallahassee Police Department said the suspected FSU gunman, Phoenix Ikner, will be charged in the campus shooting once he is released from the hospital.

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