ORLANDO, Fla. — Six years ago Wednesday, 17 people — a mixture of students and staff from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — were gunned down by a teen assailant.

More than a dozen others were injured on Feb. 14, 2018, and emotionally the state was grievously wounded.

What You Need To Know

  • Wednesday marks six years since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 people dead and more than a dozen injured

  • After the 2018 shooting, Florida lawmakers implemented several gun regulations — which included increasing the age to purchase certain guns from 18 to 21

  • In the current legislative session, the topic of gun regulations is again under consideration with a proposed bill that would decrease the age to purchase certain firearms back to 18

However, in the midst of tragedy, children became advocates for change, and survivors and victims' families demanded state lawmakers enact stricter gun regulations to protect the lives of children.

"We were formed by the families who had a loved one taken from us that terrible February day six years ago," said We Stand With Parkland president Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was just a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when she was killed. "Our families realized that the status quo wasn't working, so we banded together."

By doing so, he said the Parkland mass shooting became a catalyst for change — sparking marches across the country that prompted lawmakers to reexamine gun regulations.

Some that were enacted in the wake of the Parkland shooting included red flag laws, legislation to make school campuses more secure and raising the age to buy purchase a rifle or other long gun from 18 to 21.

"I feel like today is when it hits me the most," said Isabella Benjumea, a survivor of the Parkland shooting. "Six years ago, I was 14 and I was just a freshman in high school. And I was just trying to make new friends and live my high school experience, and I had no idea what was happening."

Benjumea said she marched at the Florida Capitol and in Washington, sharing her story and the importance of making a safe learning environment for children a top priority. She said the age adjustment to purchase a rifle or other long gun was a step forward. The Parkland shooter, Nicholas Cruz — who is currently serving 34 life sentences — was 19 at the time.

What Benjumea was not necessarily expecting, however, was to be back, six years to the day since the shooting, to advocate for those changes to be upheld. Recent legislation (House Bill 1223) proposes to drop the legal age to purchase a rifle or long gun back to 18.

"They put up the legal age to buy a gun to 21," said Benjumea. "But now, six years later, it's as if nothing happened. It's as if we all forgot that the shooting happened."

Opponents of the proposed legislation, like Benjumea, say loosening gun regulations would be a step backward for Florida.

“When we talk about the safety of our children and teachers at school, it's a public safety issue," said Montalto. "It's not a personal rights issue. It's not a constitutional rights issue. We believe in responsible firearms ownership."

Montalto said he believes that responsible gun ownership comes with a background check, age restrictions to purchase a gun and requirements to secure firearms safely.

"We define that as a place where a child will not have access to it, and where it's not likely to be stolen," he said.

According to the bills' sponsor, Republican state Rep. Tylor Sirois of Brevard County, if an 18-year-old is recognized as being an adult — which includes the ability to serve in the military and vote — lowering the age to purchase a rifle or long gun to 18 is an appropriate step.