Tomi Lahren Shut Down On Twitter By Florida Shooting Survivor
By Mark PygasUpdated Nov. 18 2019, 2:15 p.m. ET
On Wednesday, a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, shot 17 people dead and injured 14 more in the deadliest U.S. school shooting since Sandy Hook.
The accused 19-year-old, who was apprehended after apparently fleeing the scene, reportedly commented on a YouTube video last year that he would be a professional "school shooter." The FBI was made aware of the comment at the time. The teenager was also a concern to school staff, and had been banned from carrying a backpack while on the campus.
In the hours since, social media has, as usual, been a platform for gun reform debate. Especially since the shooting came just short of a year after President Trump rescinded an Obama-era rule aimed at blocking gun sales to certain mentally ill people.
In an address to the nation during the aftermath, President Donald Trump said he would discuss policies to make schools safer during a meeting with U.S. governors and attorneys general later this month. He added that "it's not enough to take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference -- we must make that difference."
Fox News contributor Tomi Lahren appears to be one of those opposing stricter gun laws, accusing the left of politicizing the shooting.
Can the Left let the families grieve for even 24 hours before they push their anti-gun and anti-gunowner agenda? My goodness. This isn't about a gun it's about another lunatic. #FloridaShooting
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) February 15, 2018But a response from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Carly Novell, 17, who claims to be one of the students caught up in the shooting, is getting far more attention than Lahren's original tweet.
I was hiding in a closet for 2 hours. It was about guns. You weren't there, you don't know how it felt. Guns give these disgusting people the ability to kill other human beings. This IS about guns and this is about all the people who had their life abruptly ended because of guns. https://t.co/XnzhvuN1zd
— carly (@car_nove) February 15, 2018Carly also responded to a tweet by President Donald Trump, in which he offered his "prayers and condolences."
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018Maybe I would feel safe if there was gun control??? 2+2=7 https://t.co/5qC2YY7SKO
— carly (@car_nove) February 14, 2018She also thanked first responders.
Thank u to all the police officers that helped u r amazong
— carly (@car_nove) February 15, 2018Carly also went on to claim that her grandfather, Charles Cohen, had also hidden in a closest when he was twelve years old during the first mass shooting in U.S. history. In 1949, Howard Barton Unruh killed 13 people in a rampage around his neighborhood. Unruh was found to be criminally insane and died in 2009.
This is my grandpa. When he was 12 years old, he hid in a closet while his family was murdered during the first mass shooting in America. Almost 70 years later, I also hid in a closet from a murderer. These events shouldn't be repetitive. Something has to change. #douglasstrong pic.twitter.com/nDctTNlUNs
— carly (@car_nove) February 15, 2018Carly told the Huffington Post that Cohen was in a his house with his grandmother, mother, and father in a Camden, New Jersey, when the shooting occurred. Three members of the Cohen family were among those killed.
“His mom told him to hide in the closet while they stayed in the room. My grandpa heard everything and after that he lived with his cousin until he went to military school I believe. He never really talked about what happened and I didn’t find out until after he died. But family was so incredibly important to him because of what happened. He wasn’t as lucky as me."Carly said of her own experience:
“I just wanted to stay safe and keep everyone safe. When I got out, I was just hoping to see my mom and hug her because I couldn’t even imagine how scared she was.”Other students were also quick to respond.
A gun has killed 17 of my fellow classmates. A gun has traumatized my friends. My entire school, traumatized from this tragedy. This could have been prevented. Please stfu tomi https://t.co/qNo03ZE3Ev
— kyra (@longlivekcx) February 15, 2018While others responded to President Donald Trump.
This student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School doesn’t want to hear President Trump’s “prayers and condolences.” pic.twitter.com/XQU1tKWiVI
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 15, 2018Other social media users were also quick to criticize Lahren.
How bout Vegas Tomi. Can we talk about those 560 wounded and dead? Or still too soon? Also lemme know when the conversation about the 17 dead today reaches a decent interval. Wouldn’t wanna offend ya. https://t.co/Mu8fDYbi1p
— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) February 15, 2018Hey, Tomi. I know people write a lot of mean, hateful things to you on here and it must be really hard, so I just wanna say: go fuck yourself. https://t.co/MUuwxW3WVP
— Jen Statsky (@jenstatsky) February 15, 2018You can usually tell the color/birth place of the killers based off of Tomi’s post tragedy tweets... https://t.co/9hE17R0zMN
— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) February 15, 2018Many parents and students have also taken to social media to share heartbreaking text messages they exchanged during the shooting.
While hiding in a bathroom for two hours, this is the text Sarah Crescitelli sent her parents. Dad and Mom both crying re-reading it. #stonemanshooting @ pic.twitter.com/zN7RY8a4vE
— Chabeli Herrera (@ChabeliH) February 15, 2018#BrowardCounty Here is just one chilling text exchange between 2 sisters today during the shooting in Florida. @PoliticalShort pic.twitter.com/sSMmzKWGXM
— Color Me Red 👠 (@ColorMeRed) February 15, 2018Parent's conversation with -14-year-old son who is currently in lockdown. pic.twitter.com/6M4f0FrbZJ
— Carli Teproff (@CTeproff) February 14, 2018Thankfully in this case, the two were reunited.
Father who sent text to son about playing dead if a shooter comes in is reunited with his son. His other son was also on lockdown in middle school. pic.twitter.com/MjH4KmPdJr
— Carli Teproff (@CTeproff) February 14, 2018This father reads a terrifying text message from his child caught up in today's shooting at a Florida high school: https://t.co/n8iEBKJRYL We have the latest tonight at 11 pic.twitter.com/FXs0Pf13eG
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) February 15, 2018What do you think of Lahren's tweet and the response?
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