TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Dozens of Florida State University students and community allies marched through the streets of Tallahassee on Wednesday morning, demanding urgent action from state lawmakers on gun reform. Their calls follow a deadly campus shooting last week that left two dead and at least six others wounded.
The group of nearly 100 demonstrators walked a mile from the FSU campus to the state capitol, holding signs, chanting slogans, and pleading for change in a state where gun legislation has long been a partisan flashpoint.
WATCH: FSU students march on Capitol, demand gun reform after deadly shooting
“It’s just a little ridiculous that this keeps happening,” said FSU student Tessa Mahurin, voicing frustration shared by many in the crowd.
Some marched out of fear for their own safety; others carried the weight of personal loss.
“The next day, they released the names, and I found out that it was a friend of mine for many years. It’s— it's senseless,” said Tallahassee resident Amy Adams.
The students were calling for a range of reforms, including universal background checks, restrictions on ammunition sales, and improved firearm storage requirements. But in a Republican-controlled legislature, those proposals have struggled to gain traction.
“These shootings that happen, they should be anomalies, and they happen so frequently that they're just looked at as another tragedy, but they're not,” said another student demonstrator, Allie (who declined to give her last name). “These should be freak accidents, not a natural disaster.”
Republican lawmakers argue they are protecting Second Amendment rights. One hotly debated bill, which would lower the legal age to purchase a firearm from 21 to 18, passed the House but has stalled in the Senate.
“This is an incredibly important bill to me. It really is,” said Sen. Jay Collins (R-Tampa), the legislation’s sponsor. “I think when you look at the constitutionality of this, it is very clear what our Founding Fathers intended.”
Still, resistance remains within the upper chamber. On Wednesday, Sen. Cory Simon (R-Tallahassee) stood on the chamber floor and asked for a moment of silence. The FSU alum failed to hold back tears as he did so.
“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,” Simon said.
As lawmakers paused inside for reflection, chants from protesters outside continued to echo on the Capitol grounds.
“Hopefully, we can appeal to whatever humanity is left in the Republican Party,” said FSU student Jean-Luc Cruz.
Whether their pleas will yield action remains uncertain. The legislative session is set to conclude on May 2, leaving lawmakers little time to pass any significant reforms.
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