The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Stoneman Douglas Students on Grief, Gun Reform and the March for Our Lives

Episode Date: March 26, 2021

In 2018, survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, FL, recounted their real-time reactions to the tragedy and gave their takes on what can be done about America's gun violence problem. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Joining me now to talk about where America goes from here are students

from Major E. Stoneman Douglas High School. Please welcome Elijah Josh, Kai, Thomas, and Carly. Welcome everybody. Welcome to the show. You folks have been at school for a few weeks now post the shooting. Is there a general shared mood amongst the students or would you say that there's different levels of grief in the classroom? Carly? I think there's different levels of grief but it's overall supportive. Like, if you see someone crying, even someone you don't know, like, you feel comfortable, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the the, the the the, the the the the the the show to to to the show the show the show to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the show, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, the show, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, their the classroom. Carly? I think there's different levels of grief, but it's overall supportive. Like, if you see someone crying, even someone you don't know, like you feel comfortable enough to be there for them and be there for everyone.

Is that something you've seen post the shooting as a school as a whole, where people have had to go, like we are suffering through, and at the same time we have to overcome that? Yeah, most definitely. Not really overcome though but more get through it because I don't think we're ever going to overcome that completely but just support everyone. Right. It's interesting that you say not overcome but get through. For many Americans, this school shooting was one of the school shootings. It was unfortunately another school shooting and and for many Americans, this school shooting was one of the school shootings. It was unfortunately another school shooting.

And for many Americans, people say the same thing. I never thought it would happen to me. Thomas, you are in school. You are living your life, and all of a sudden, there's a shooting. Do you in that moment think that it's not real? And were you able to process what was happening when it was going down? I definitely didn't think it was real for like probably

the first half hour until I heard one of my friends was actually shot. So I was just thinking it was a drill, or some, or some, I guess, yeah, a drill. For like the first half hour of just sitting in the the the the oauil, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, I, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, of, I, I, I, I, the, for, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the then, like going back, like seeing the school on the news and all that, it's like, that's my school. It doesn't feel like it's my school. It doesn't feel like it's my school. Yet, I do know that I could process immediately that it did happen.

Right. And it's interesting that you say that it feels like it isn't like it isn't like it isn't like it isn't, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, thi, thi, it's, it's, like, like, thi, it's, thi, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, th.... th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. that, that, it's, that, that, that, that, that's that's th. th. thi. thi. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. the your school thing. I mean, many people have joined in with Majory Stoneman High. People have gone, this is the story of America. Do you still feel like it's your story, or has it become like a national movement? So partly I feel like it is still our story, because it did happen here. It's like we see that building every day. We know we've lost 17 people. But at the same time it's like the entire the entire the entire the entire the entire the entire the entire, their their their their their, their, their, their, their, thiii and thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, thi, thi. thi. toooomorrow, toomorrow, toomorrow, toomorrow, toomorrow, thea, thea, their, their, their, their,time it's like the entire nation sort of taken it upon themselves to better the system and fix what happened, like make sure that never

happens again. So I feel like it's it's a little bit of both, yeah. Right. When you went back into school, Kai for the first time, post the shooting, what was some of the thoughts that were going through your mind? Well like Thomas said, I couldn't believe that I was going back to, you know, people called us the new Columbine, we actually surpassed Columbine. So to be a member and a student in that school that surpassed Columbine is just, you don't want to be that kid. You don't want to be the kid who went to the next Columbine. And we all just had to come together and basically just sit down as one family and all of our friends and even people we weren't friends with sat down together and we bonded.

You went from being a school where there was a terrible tragedy and over what seemed like a span of, you know, overnight, you became a message of hope. People were rallying behind you as a school. Elijah, why do you think your school and the students involved in the shooting were able to mobilize so many people towards doing something? That's a good question. I believe that deals with our spirit as eagles as students here. We have always been taught since an early age that be the change you wish to see in the world.

As a matter of fact, that is lettered on the exit of our school through the red gates. We see that every day we walk out. And really this message has been so ingrained within us and so emphasized that we really wanted to just make a change to make sure that this does not happen again. Right, and that's been, I think, one of the biggest questions of where to go from here. Everyone says, how do you make this not happen again? And that's where it feels like everyone reaches a deadlock. Even in the school, not everyone is on the same page. Carly, your side, you have your views and a lot of the students do, what would you

hope to see going forward to try and stop something like this from happening again? I'd hope to see gun control ultimately. I don't know exactly how to stop people from being killed, but I feel like gun control is a way to limit the amount of shootings that are happening because it's happening all too frequently. And in your opinion, like I say, there's no right to a wrong answer, but like, do you have a sense of what that gun control would be? I mean, you're not the lawmaker, and so I don't think anyone should expect that answer from you per se, but do you even think just looking at the information that you would go, that's something that I think, think, think, think, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the the the their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, think assault weapons aren't necessary to have in the hands of a civilian because they're just used to kill people really. They're not used to go hunting and it doesn't or protect yourself in the case of, you need to protect yourself.

So I feel like an assault weapon is just not necessary and I think you shouldn't be able to get guns until you're 21. And also just mental health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health, the shouldn't be able to get guns until year 21. And also, just mental health checks, background checks, just keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people, because that's what got so many people into this situation, not just our school, but so many other places. You bring that up, the mental state of people having access to guns. The shooter at your school, one thing that up, the mental state of people having access to guns, the shooter at

your school, one thing that was a parent post-the-shooting was every single person that was interviewed said we knew this about him. We suspected this. It wasn't the case where people said we don't know why. Everyone felt like they knew why. Could you tell me why you would say that? Is there any any particular reason people felt like this kid was a thret thuuuuuuuu thuuuuuuuuuu thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. the the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, the, thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. One, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi, thi. thi. thin, thi. thi. thei. thei. theiiiii. thiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi say that? Is there any particular reason people felt like this kid was a threat to everyone else? Well, personally I didn't know this kid, but I know that apparently the police were called to his house, something like 45 times. Right. There's so many warning signs. There were two FBI tips. And, you know, it so easily could have been prevented. One of the things that I like support is this idea of gun violence restraining orders. They have it in

place right now and I almost said Australia and in place in California. Right. It's basically it's like a due process way where like someone close to like a dangerous individual can go to a court and, like, petition them to have the person's weapons removed temporarily until they can present, you know, new evidence of this person is a danger. It's completely due process and it should have, you know, it has bipartisan support, and I think it would have definitely stopped this shooting at our school. Right. It's interesting that you're all high school students and now in many ways everyone

in the nation is turning to you and asking you your opinions on guns, your opinions on gun control. Like how have you processed this information? When you look at what people are asking of you, do you think that you should be having these conversations? Do you think that you have the ability to have these conversations? Like, like how do you process th people th people th people th you th people the th people th people th people their th people their people their people people people people people people people people people people people people people? th? th? their, th? th. their, their, th. th. thi, thi, their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, te. te. te. te. te. te. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, you think that you have the ability to have these conversations? Or like, how do you process all of this information? Well, I think that all the people that have had the opportunity to speak as well as for those that haven't, are very capable of doing so. Right. We're a very well-educated student body and we represent ourselves as such. So, you know, you can imagine that it's very shocking that you're going from one moment,

you're just a regular kid to the next moment, you're, you know, petitioning lawmakers and you're marching on Washington and trying to affect real change. So overall, that whole thing is still very unthinkable. And when you look at what you've had to do since then and what you've been asked to do, do you think in some ways people have politicized, like, like, like, like, their, their, their, their, their what you've been asked to do. Do you think in some ways people have politicized your pain? Like when you look at how people speak about what's happened at your school, do you feel like some people are only in it too further their agenda? Is that something that bothers you?

I think people are forgetting that 17 people died, and they're forgetting that we're grieving in a lot of this. And even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even. And even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even even and even like making conspiracy theories about it like we were there we experienced it so it it takes away from our pain and it just makes it it takes away from the real topic of what's going on. What would you like people to be focusing on? I think we can focus on gun control we need to focus on gun control but we can't forget the 17 lives that were lost. Right. And when you look at the discussion itself, some people say the solution to this is arming teachers. Others say the solution is restricting guns from younger people.

You, at this table, all goes to the same school, but you don't have the exact same views when it comes to this. this. How have have have the the the the the the the the solution the the the solution the the the the the the solution the the the the the the to their to their their to to to to their to to to to to to to to to to to tooeck. to to to to to to to to to to to to tooes, tooes. tooes. toeck. to to to to to their their their their their their their. their their their their their. their their their their theirsesesesesese. theirse. theirse. theirse. theirse. theirse. theirse. theirse. their teuu. teau. teau. teau. teau. teau. teau. teau. teau. toeau. but you don't have the exact same views when it comes to this. How have you managed to respectfully engage in these conversations whilst disagreeing on what to do? So personally not everyone does respectfully disagree. Some people will get into a heated debate, but most of us will, we respect each other's opinions because we all went through this horrific event together. So we all know we're all feeling maybe not even the same pain. Some people lost multiple people that they love.

So we respect that they're going through this. We're all going through this. So it's a general consensus like, yeah, we respect each other. We don't want to get into like a heated debate. We don't want to hurt someone's feelings because of the events that happened. And if you look at some of the proposals that have been put forward, are there any that you personally don't agree with, even though you were a part of this?

You have an experience with this. Are there any things that you've heard of where you go, like, I don't actually agree with that. So I'm not really big on think an ordinary teacher would even want to be armed at a school just because first off they're not comfortable being with a gun in class after the events. And too, I don't think they would have it on their person so I don't think it would be really, their person. I don't think it would be really useful, to it could go to education. Right. And Josh on your side, like I know for instance, you've said,

it actually makes you feel a little bit safer, knowing that a teacher is armed. You want to have people in the school who have guns, because then you feel like someone who comes into the school is less likely to do that because they know that they're guns there. When you're thinking thinking thinking thinking thinking think think think think thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin th like the person with a gun in the school makes it safer for you? Yeah, I don't, like I'm not against teachers having guns.

Right. You know, I think if a teacher's trained and they have a background and history with it, they should be able to bring a gun if they want to be completely concealed. No kid would even know they have it. But I'm more so for having security and police at our school. So like teachers really won't have to worry about that. And I do think it is a deterrent. And I do think if something happens, then they can stop it. Like if you look at what just happened in Maryland, their school resource officer stopped the shooter before you you thii. thr. the school resource the school resource. the school resource. the school the school the school the school. their. to thoe. to to to stop. to stop. thi. to stop. their toe. their their toease. their their their their their their school their school resource. their school resource. their school their. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thiole, thiole..... Soease. Soease. Soease. Soease. to be to be to be toease. toea. toea. toea. toeaughea. toea. toea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. to you, but Josh, why don't we just ban guns all together?

Why don't we ban these automatic weapons? Why don't we ban handguns? Why does that not connect with you as a person? I think banning guns, it sounds like the easy answer, but it's really not, like, there's 350 million guns in the United States right now. there's absolutely thiiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thoom. thoom. thi. thi. thoom. thoom. thoom. th. th. th. We' th. We' th. We' th. We' th. We' th. We' th. We just, th. We just, th. We just, th. We. We. We. We. We. We. We. We. We. We. We. We just, th. We. We just, th. I, th. I, the, the, the. I, the. I, the. I, the. It's, the. And, toe. We're, toea. toeau. And, toeau. We're, toeau. And, thoooooo. We just, why, why, the. We'll just just just just, there's 350 million guns in the United States right now. Like, there's absolutely no way that people would be able to, you know, collect, like the government would be able to collect them all. And it's people's, you know, it's people's God-given right to self-defense, you know, I don't agree with just taking that away.

Kye, on your side, teachers having guns isn't the safe space that you would want to be in. A teacher having a gun doesn't make you feel better. Why? Well, no. And if I'm being honest, you know, I don't want to seem like that guy. But you know, me being a minority in the South and having a teacher, you know, have a gun regardless of color, it does not make me feel comfortable. And even, you know, when you have, you have resource, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have, you have a the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their, their, you know, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, theaugh, thea, thea, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their,, you know, resource officers who are, you know, taking matters into their own hands, I don't think that lethal weapons should have a place in the school

environment. And if you need to have some kind of weapon to, you know, defend people, I do believe that it should be a non-lethal option. Elijah, people are going to be marching in Washington, D.C. and in many many other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other other theeeeaaauice thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thooeauiceauia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia thia thia thia thia thia thia tha tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.a. ta. ta.a. ta. ta.a. ta. t marching in Washington, D.C. and in many other cities around the United States. Everyone seems to be marching for one common cause, and that is life. People are saying march for our lives, but everyone has a different idea of what that is. What do you hope would come from this march? Well, I hope there's a lot more attention to the fact that, again, this is a march for lives that resolves this multifaceted issue. So I think this march with people calling upon different aspects such as gun control mental

health, I want people to focus on the fact that we need to prevent something so atrocious from ever happening. This is domestic terrorism, essentially. And this is a multi-leveled issue that requires different solutions. It's not just one sweep all solution, it's not we ban all guns, it's not we fund more mental health, it's an all-out multi-sided solution that we require. And before I let you go, is there one thing you would want the American population, I guess everyone in the world, to know about you that you haven't seen people convey about you on TV or online? Is there something that you feel like people are missing about you as human beings and as students?

I think they forget that we're still in pain and some of us aren't ready to just go back right into our into our lives and to school and like we go to school and there's still media there every day. There are people standing outside taking pictures like it's the Las Vegas sign and it's it's still new for us. It's only been a month and a half, and we're still in pain. Well, thank you so much for coming and joining us. I know people will be marching with you. You guys have motivated a nation.

Thank you very much for your time. Thank you very much. One more time, ladies and gentlemen. The Daily Show with Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more.

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.

This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.