x
Breaking News
More () »

Never Again: The School Shooting Generation

Today's students have grown up in a post-Columbine world. After witnessing school shooting after school shooting, they're headed to the streets and the polls to speak out against gun violence.

Suzanne Nuyen, Francis Abbey

Play Video

Close Video

Published: 10:27 AM PDT October 29, 2018
Updated: 8:47 AM PDT October 30, 2018

It's February 14 and a student has opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fl., killing 17 students and staff and injuring 17 more.

It’s 2 p.m. on May 18 at Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s office. Up and down the hallway, Brenna Levitan and her student peers lie on the ground in silence. They are eventually handcuffed, arrested and led out of the building by Capitol Police.

It’s June 12 on the lawn of the United States Capitol. Mollie Davis stands at a podium and unrolls a sheet of paper taller than she is. “I stand here today because this is the list of school shootings in this country, and it shouldn't’t be.” She points to a small line that reads Great Mills High School. “This is my school on the list.”

It’s July 21 in front of the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Rain is pouring down, but Michael Nevett, bundled in a jacket and ducked under an umbrella, shouts into a megaphone. “This is what democracy looks like!” his friends yell.

In just eight months, survivors have ignited a movement of student activists for gun control that has taken over the country. In the D.C.-metropolitan area where the nation’s laws are drafted and debated by elected politicians, students are at the forefront of the battle for change.

Before You Leave, Check This Out