Parkland Students Give Impassioned Plea for Gun Control on 'Real Time'
Following their deadly school shooting, the outspoken student survivors David Hogg and Cameron Kasky engaged in a candid discussion with host Bill Maher over their desire for stricter gun laws.
Two outspoken survivors of the tragic Parkland, Fla. school shooting that left 17 dead joined Bill Maher’s weekly HBO program Real Time Friday night, where they continued to plea for stricter gun control.
In an interview with David Hogg and Cameron Kasky, Maher praised the 17-year olds for their dedication to challenging the government over the lack of gun control. Since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, students, including Hogg and Kasky, have become advocates for gun control, organizing various movements including the "March for Our Lives," which George and Amal Clooney, Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw each announced they would donate $500,000 to.
Hogg and Kasky also currently serve as co-founders of the #NeverAgain organization, which was created to fight for tighter regulations to prevent gun violence. The students have also appeared on multiple news fronts with Kasky most famously grilling Sen. Marco Rubio during the CNN Town Hall meeting on whether he would continue to accept NRA donations, being that he received $9,900 from the NRA's political action committee during the 2016 election cycle, according to filings from the Federal Election Commission.
Unhappy with how the government has failed to make the proper changes for a stricter gun control, Hogg revealed to Maher that he declined an offer to attend Trump's White House listening session. While speaking with the White House, Hogg recalled angrily informing them, "I said, we don’t need to listen to President Trump. President Trump needs to listen to the screams of this nation and the screams of the children."
Though sharing a few quips about their age, Maher applauded the students for standing up for their beliefs. "You are really giving me faith that the kids today are actually very brave," Maher told the students. Later on, Maher shared similar frustrations with the second amendment. "We treat guns as a right. Other countries treat it as a privilege. Even on the liberal side, [they are] just bowing down to the second amendment and I don't know if that’s the right approach."
Maher then took a jab at Trump, encouraging Kasky and Hogg to foresee a time without a Trump presidency. "Bush, Obama, Clinton they all go in one basket. I happen to fall with the democrats usually but they're all in one kettle, and then there’s this thing that happened. This virus from outer space. I want you to know how much this is not like anything that has ever, ever happened before and hopefully it will not happen in the future."
Though aware of the current political climate, the students believe they're doing their part in making it better. "We appreciate that you are willing to let us rebuild the world that you fucked up," Kasky jabbed.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder and author and historian Jon Meacham also made appearances on Friday night’s show.
