More than 15 people joined UF Students Demand Action and the UF College Democrats Wednesday afternoon in a campus vigil and call for action honoring the victims of the Florida State University shooting and those affected by gun violence.
The April 17 shooting on FSU’s campus left two dead and six injured.
Students Demand Action is made up of high school and college activists. The organization fully launched into a national initiative just two weeks after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, according to its website.
“This senseless violence was a tragedy, but it was also preventable,” said Connor Effrain, UF College Democrats’ president. “Shooting after shooting has happened here in Florida, we know that more than anywhere else.”
Attendees at Wednesday’s vigil held signs reading “We can end gun violence” and “Students demand action.” Some attendees brought flowers, and several organizers gathered around and gave speeches.
In attendance was Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward, who said lawmakers with the opportunity to “make change refuse to make change.”
“People went to work last week in Tallahassee on Florida State’s campus — people went to school on Florida State’s campus — not knowing that they were putting their lives at risk, and that's absurd,” Ward said.
Isaiah Sloan, a 20-year-old UF biology and political science sophomore and president of UF Students Demand Action, organized the event at UF to honor the dead while spreading awareness about gun violence.
Holding an event in Gainesville is important for students because many have gone through school shootings themselves and may need emotional support following one so close to home, he said.
“We want to make sure that we provide any resources that we have through our parent organization, Everytown for Gun Safety, which has a lot of trauma informed resources,” Sloan said.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit gun violence advocacy organization, is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the U.S., according to its website.
UF Police Department officers handed an unsigned list of rules to vigil attendees — the same list handed to pro-Palestine protesters in April 2024. Rules included:
- No amplified sound,
- No “building of structures,” such as chairs or tables,
- And “no disruption.”
Sloan also said the vigil was meant to help connect UF students with resources to make their political voices heard, especially in regard to gun legislation like HB 759, which would allow people under 21 to own rifles and other long guns in the state. The legislation is not expected to pass.
In the aftermath of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, state lawmakers passed restrictions on the purchase of firearms. However, Florida Republicans like Michelle Salzman (R-District 1) have recently challenged this legislation and sought to undo it.
Early in the Florida legislative session, U.S. Representative Randy Fine (R-District 6), who was a state senator before winning a special election April 1, introduced two Senate bills on guns. The first bill, SB 814, would have allowed guns on college campuses. The second bill, SB 94, would have allowed the gun ownership age to be lowered to 18 instead of 21. Neither bill passed.
Students who participated in the vigil shared Sloan’s and Effrain’s concerns about gun violence and new legislation.
Lindsay Potts, a 20-year-old UF biology and cell science junior, said she feels tired of shootings endangering people she knows, including family and former peers.
“I grew up next to Parkland, probably like 5 miles away,” Potts said. “I swam [competitively] with a lot of these kids, actually, one of them who passed.”
Her cousin, meanwhile, was at Fort Lauderdale International Airport during a 2017 shooting that left five dead.
Potts has had her own encounters with gun violence, she said.
“On my first day of high school at Boca High, there was another complete lockdown because there was someone with a firearm on campus,” she said.
Ana Perez, a 19-year-old UF history and political science sophomore, fears gun violence could come for her one day. She said the attack on FSU was a haunting reminder of that possibility.
She said she also noted FSU’s shooting had occurred near its student union, and she had been at UF’s when she learned of it.
“To me, it feels like the next shooting is inevitable,” Perez said. “Where would you hide? What’s the closest room? What’s the best place to go? That’s always in the back of your mind.”
Contact Vivienne Serret and Avery Parker at vserret@alligator.org and aparker@alligator.org . Follow them on X @vivienneserret and @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is a third-year English and History major covering university affairs for The Alligator. Outside of reporting, Avery spends his time doting on his cats, reading, and listening to music by the Manwolves.
Vivienne Serret is a UF journalism and criminology senior, serving as the Fall 2024 race and equity reporter for The Alligator's Enterprise desk. She previously worked as a columnist and previously reported for The Alligator's university desk as the student government reporter. She loves karaoke and lifting at the gym.
