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Never Again MSD

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Never Again MSD
FormationFebruary 15, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-02-15)
FounderCameron Kasky[1]
Purpose Gun control advocacy
Location
Key people
Co-founder Cameron Kasky (left).

Never Again MSD is an American student-led organization that advocates for tighter regulations to prevent gun violence.[2] The group, also known by the hashtag #NeverAgain, was formed in the aftermath of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were murdered by a shooter armed with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle.[3] The group started on social media as a movement "For survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting, by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting" using the hashtag #NeverAgain.[4] The group has demanded legislative action to prevent similar shootings in the future and has vocally condemned U.S. lawmakers who have received political contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA).[5][6][7][8]

The group was founded by about twenty students who survived the Stoneman Douglas shooting. Among its most prominent members are Cameron Kasky, Emma González, David Hogg.

"MSD" refers to the school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.[2]

Founding

David Hogg (far left) and Emma Gonzalez (second to right) at a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 17, 2018

The group was formed by Cameron Kasky and his friends in the high school drama club in the first four days after the shooting.[9] They said that they worked quickly to take advantage of the national media attention given to the shooting and its aftermath.[9]

Kasky said that he invited a few of his friends over to his house after the shooting, and he came up with the name Never Again in his pajamas while the group stayed up all night to make plans.[10] By the next day they created social media accounts and announced a nationwide protest on March 24. Over the next three days, the group gained over 35,000 followers on Facebook.[11]

Activism

The group held a rally on February 17, 2018, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, which was attended by hundreds of supporters.[12] Emma González was noted for her impassioned speech rebuking "thoughts and prayers" from the government and President Donald Trump.[13][14]

"March for Our Lives", a nationwide demonstration which will include a march in Washington, D.C., is planned for March 24, 2018. The march will be conducted in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety.[15][16][17]

In an opinion column for CNN, Parkland student Cameron Kasky wrote: "We can't ignore the issues of gun control that this tragedy raises. And so, I'm asking -- no, demanding -- we take action now."[18][19]

The group worked with congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Florida Senator Lauren Book to arrange a bus trip to the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee to voice their concerns with lawmakers and demand action on gun violence.[9][20][21] Several students watched from the gallery as the Florida House voted 71 to 36 against considering a bill to ban assault weapons (such as AR-15-style rifles) and high-capacity magazines.[22][23] More than 3,000 people attended a rally at the Capitol on the following day.[24][25]

NeverAgainMSD and other groups have also made significant progress in getting corporations to drop NRA sponsorships and discounts for NRA members.[26] Firms which severed ties with the National Rifle Association include the First National Bank of Omaha, car rental companies Hertz and Avis and Enterprise and Budget, insurer MetLife, Symantec software, home security firm SimpliSafe, and airlines including Delta and United.[27]

Response

George and Amal Clooney donated $500,000 to the organization to help with the cost of organizing the March for Our Lives demonstration, which they will also participate in.[28] Following the Clooneys' announcement, other celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg pledged to match the $500,000 donation.[29][30]

In a CNN editorial entitled The NRA's Worst Nightmare Dean Obeidallah compared the NeverAgain MSD to the early days of the #MeToo movement that caused a "cultural shift regarding sexual misconduct."[26]

References

  1. ^ Michael Schulman (February 23, 2018). "The Spring Awakening of the Stoneman Douglas Theatre Kids". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 25, 2018. ...Cameron Kasky, the seventeen-year-old firebrand who started the Never Again movement with his classmates, told Wolf Blitzer,... as I watched Kasky, González, and their classmates show more moral clarity and vision than we've seen in the gun debate for a long time. ...
  2. ^ a b Seelinger, Lani (February 19, 2018). "What Is Never Again MSD? Parkland Survivors Are Standing Up To Politicians & The NRA". Bustle. Retrieved February 19, 2018. ... multiple students have banded together to take gun violence prevention into their own hands ... Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Alex Wind, Jaclyn Corin, Sofie Whitney, and Delaney Tarr, among others, and they're prepared for a fight ... calling their movement Never Again, and the "MSD" added at the end of their Twitter account refers to the name of their school...We are sick of the Florida lawmakers choosing money from the NRA over our safety ... holding what they're calling the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C. on March 24. ... the students behind it are tech savvy, they've fully educated themselves on the issue, and their updates on Twitter show that PR is already one of their main strengths. ...
  3. ^ Lowery, Wesley (February 18, 2018). "'No more guns!': Florida students rally to denounce political inaction after 17 killed in school shooting". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Turning Anger Into Activism: School Shooting Victims Say 'Never Again'". CBS Miami. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "Students Who Survived Florida Shooting Want Politicians To Know They're Angry". All Things Considered. NPR. February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  6. ^ Burch, Audra D. S.; Mazzei, Patricia; Healy, Jack (February 16, 2018). "A 'Mass Shooting Generation' Cries Out for Change". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  7. ^ Holpuch, Amanda (February 17, 2018). "Post-Columbine generation demands action on guns: 'We don't deserve this'". The Guardian. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "US: School shooting survivors demand stricter gun laws". Al Jazeera. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Witt, Emily (February 19, 2018). "How the Survivors of Parkland Began the Never Again Movement". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  10. ^ Smidt, Remy (February 20, 2018). "Here's What It's Like At The Headquarters Of The Teens Working To Stop Mass Shootings: Just days after surviving a mass shooting, a team of teens is trying to start a revolution from their parents' living rooms". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  11. ^ Lowery, Wesley (February 17, 2018). "Students denounce political inaction after Florida shooting -- 'This isn't just a mental health issue! He wouldn't have harmed that many students with a knife!'". The Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Chavez, Nicole (February 18, 2018). "Florida school shooting survivors turn grief into action". CNN. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Bailey, Chelsea (February 17, 2018). "At rally, Parkland shooting survivors rail against gun laws, NRA and Trump". NBC News. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  14. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (February 17, 2018). "Artists React to Florida School Shooting Survivor's Powerful Speech at Gun Control Rally". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  15. ^ Cooper, Kelly-Leigh (February 18, 2018). "In Florida aftermath, US students say 'Never Again'". BBC. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "March for Our Lives". marchforourlives.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  17. ^ Lam, Katherine (February 18, 2018). "Florida school shooting survivors plan march demanding end to gun violence". Fox News Channel. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Kasky, Cameron (February 15, 2018). "Parkland student: My generation won't stand for this". CNN. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  19. ^ Selk, Avi (February 24, 2018). "NRA lashes out at boycott movement as United, Delta and other corporations cut ties". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 25, 2018. Banks and credit companies could effectively ban assault weapons right now, simply by prohibiting customers from using their services to buy them…[also]executives were considering policies that would lead "assault weapons [to] be eliminated from virtually every firearms store in America because otherwise the sellers would be cut off from the credit card systems."….Gunmakers also use credit to make purchases, so banks could throttle them from the supply side, as well. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  20. ^ "Turning Anger Into Activism: School Shooting Victims Say 'Never Again'". CBS Miami. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  21. ^ Klas, Mary Ellen (February 18, 2018). "Parkland students to march on the Capitol this week to demand change to gun laws". The Miami Herald. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  22. ^ Hutchinson, Bill (February 21, 2018). "Assault-rifle bill voted down in Florida as shooting survivors look on in Capitol". ABC News. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  23. ^ Sanchez, Ray; Boyette, Chris; McLaughlin, Eliott (February 20, 2018). "Florida Legislature rejects weapons ban with massacre survivors en route to Capitol". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  24. ^ "Update: More than 3,000 people rally at the Capitol; number growing". Tallahassee Democrat. February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  25. ^ Witt, Emily (February 23, 2018). "The Never Again Movement Gains Momentum". The New Yorker. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  26. ^ a b Obeidallah, Dean (February 25, 2018). "The NRA's worst nightmare is here". CNN.
  27. ^ Ben Popken, February 24, 2018, NBC News, More companies cut ties with the NRA after customer backlash, Retrieved February 26, 2018, "...cutting ties with the NRA were the car rental groups Enterprise, Hertz, Avis and Budget ... MetLife ... Symantec ... SimpliSafe. Delta and United ..."
  28. ^ Culbertson, Alix (February 20, 2018). "George and Amal Clooney donate $500k to Florida shooting survivors' Never Again gun control campaign". Sky News. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  29. ^ Stack, Liam (February 20, 2018). "Clooney, Winfrey and Spielberg Donate Money for March Against Gun Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  30. ^ Rothman, Michael (February 21, 2018). "George Clooney, Oprah and Spielberg donate $500,000 each to Washington march against gun violence". ABC News. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
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