Emma Gonzalez is a 20-year-old American activist and advocate for gun control. She is a survivor of the 2018 Florida Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. She has since spoken against gun violence and helped organise the ‘March for our Lives’ on March 24th 2018. This was a student lead demonstration organised by Emma and other members of her school against the lack of laws which has led to prevalence of gun violence in the US. The estimated turnout for the demonstration was 1.2 million people:making it one of the largest demonstrations in US history.
In March for our Lives demonstration, Emma gave a speech for 6 minutes and 20 seconds precisely to symbolise the amount of time that it took for the shooter to kill the 17 students in the shooting on that tragic day. Those 6 minutes and 20 seconds caused so much suffering to so many people. During this speech she also included a moment of silence for thevictims of the shootings to pay homage to the lives lost and families and friends whose lives have been left scarred for eternity.
In response to the shooting Emma and her fellow classmates (David Hogg, Alex Wind, Jaclyn Corin, Cameron Kasky, Sofie Whitney and others) co-founded a charity called Never Again MSD (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) to help bring to light the massive problem of gun violence and help build up the never again movement to ensure such atrocities are not repeated and prevented.
Gun violence is a major issue in America. Possession of firearms does not require a permit and is a fundamental right, protected by the 2nd Amendment in the United States constitution for any American citizen to bear arms. For example, in Florida, no state permit is needed to purchase or own any firearm and this factor was undoubtedly scrutinised after the event. This is one of the many gun violence cases that brought to light the relaxed restrictions against firearms possession.
In a later published Harper’s Bazaar article Emma stated that children are tired of practising shooters drills, fearing and preparing for something that we should not even have to think about. She went on to say that if she were able to communicate something to adults, the one thing she would say is that it should not be easier to purchase a gun than it is to obtain a driver’s license.
Emma is an inspiration for all young girls as she showed immense courage at a time that was so personally difficult for her. She is now fighting to prevent the same vents from happening to anyone else. Today she stays defiant despite personal attacks on her appearance and sexuality and continues to work towards a future that is much safer for the children of Florida and America.
