HOUSTON - Survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting met in a conference room for a briefing in West Houston on Friday.
The students say gun violence is a public health epidemic and they believe school shootings are preventable, calling them sickening and maddening.
The Santa Fe High School shooting last Friday, occurred almost 3 months to the day, after the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
In those shootings combined, 27 people were killed at the hands of teenage gunmen.
Survivors who met on Friday had a united message: “Inaction is not an option.”
Many Santa Fe students in the room said their families own guns, but that they believe gun laws need to change, in order to save lives.
Santa Fe senior Bree Butler said her dad stores his gun in a safe, with a secret password.
“If we can pass laws that make it mandatory for gun owners to lock their guns in a safe, then we can save children’s lives and make sure that nobody goes through the pain and suffering that we are going through right now,” Butler said.
The teenagers admit the solutions to school violence are complex and multi-faceted.
They believe in solutions like stepped up security at schools and increased mental health services will help.
They’re adamant, however, that stricter laws regarding ammunition and gun ownership will also help.
“Ensuring that we report lost or stolen firearms, ensuring that all gun sellers go thorough mental health background evaluations,” are provisions that are necessary, said one student.
Also present on Friday were members of “Moms Demand Action" formed in 2012, after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Member and mom of 3, Michele Still told KHOU, that she is impressed that through grief, trauma and terror, students have been able to organize national school walk-outs, and rallies such as, March For Our Lives.
“Their voices are so strong. They’re the next generation. All the politicians should be watching, listening,” said Still.
Santa Fe High School junior Megan McGuire added, “My thought is if you do not do something, you do not have a prayer of being elected. My generation will see to that.”
Santa Fe High School students return to school on Tuesday. They’ll be finishing on Thursday.
Students say the district assured them that attendance is optional, because some students might be too traumatized to go back into the building at this time.
The students at the press conference Friday say they look forward to returning so that they can be surrounded by friends and classmates. They also don’t want the last day of the school year to be the day of the shooting.