Late Tuesday night, the Florida state House rejected a ban on semiautomatic guns and large capacity magazines.
In the aftermath of last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Lakeland, Florida, Florida lawmakers had been pressured by many to push sweeping anti-gun legislation.
But despite the efforts of anti-gun activists, Florida lawmakers held tough—and voted down the attempted gun grab.
As they voted, the gallery in the state Capitol was lined with Stoneman Douglas students and other anti-gun activists—who appeared shocked to see the bill go down in flames, 36-71.
“It was just so heartbreaking to see how many names were up there [voting against the bill], especially after it was my school,” said Sheryl Acquaroli, a junior at Stoneman Douglas, when she appeared Anderson Cooper 360 later that evening. “It seemed almost heartless how they immediately pushed the button to say no.”
Acquaroli then blamed future deaths on Republican lawmakers.
“They had a chance to stop it today,” she fumed. “If there is another mass shooting, it’s going to be their fault.”
Acquaroli was just one of many students who had taken to activism after last week’s shooting—but, despite their media-friendly efforts, their protests appear to have fallen on deaf ears from Florida elected officials.