Students who survived the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one week ago went to the Florida Statehouse in Tallahassee today to meet with state legislators. It turned out about as well as you'd expect, unfortunately: One Republican lawmaker told them, "You can't stop crazies." Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran put off a girl who asked why anyone "needs" a semiautomatic rifle by telling her that lots and lots of law-abiding Americans just love to go boar hunting with them. So apparently, banning the things so an angry, unstable 19-year-old can't walk into Guns R Us and buy one is a non-starter:

“You can disagree, but what I tell my kids — and being in elected office, you have to be very, very, very careful how much authority and power you bring to government. The greatest atrocities known to mankind have been committed by governments.”

“I understand your question,” he added. “And we’ll look at it, but I’ll just be honest with you: Me personally I don’t believe that’s the solution.”

A meeting with Senate President Joe Negron was similarly a downer:

“I have a question that I would really like a direct answer to. Why would a general civilian need a gun such as an AR-15 which was constructed to kill, it’s a military weapon not meant for self-defense,” Olivia Feller asked [...]

“I think that’s an issue we are going to look at as we work on developing a legislative response and I appreciate your point of view on that,” he said.

That response fell flat among the students.

Disappointing, yes. But the kids weren't dissuaded; as the day went on, more students from schools all over the area -- including some college kids, so get ready for some idiot to say "fake news" -- began showing up, filling the halls, carrying signs, and shouting "Shame! Shame! Shame!" Others chanted "Vote them out!" We'd like to think that turned some heads.

Students also crowded into the lobby of Gov. Rick Scott's office, chanting "Where's Rick Scott? Where's Rick Scott?" He wasn't in the office at the time, but he plans to meet with students for two hours at 5 p.m. today.

Students walked out of classes all over Florida, all over the country. In Tallahassee, over 100 MSD High students, joined by students from local schools and supporters, demonstrated outside the Capitol as well; they called it the "Rally in Tally," which, serious purpose notwithstanding, is also just too cute for words.

Students at a dozen high schools in Lee County (the Fort Meyers area) walked out too, some for exactly 17 minutes, others for longer demonstrations. Unlike some idiot administrators elsewhere, local school district leadership didn't threaten the kids who walked out with discipline; while not endorsing the walkout, a school district spokesperson, Rob Spicker, said the district recognized

these actions are important to some of them today and since the students have the right to free expression, we did work with our principals to establish some guidelines that will keep the students safe on campus and encourage them to get back to class with as little disruption to the day as possible

Good going, Lee County schools.

Ohter school walkouts were held in Durham, North Carolina; in Illinois; in Minneapolis; and in Arizona. In Denver, students from several high schools walked out of class and held a "lie-in" at the state Capitol building. Despite the name, the event didn't involve reading the tweets of Donald Trump; instead, the kids lay down to dramatize school shootings. Which we suppose the rancid slime mongers at Gateway Pundit will say makes them crisis actors, too.

In Washington DC, teens from around the capital city region (including Maryland and elsewhere) walked out of school to rally at the US Capitol before marching down the National Mall to the White House:

Here's a pretty awesome kid from Maryland:

Isadora came up with a good slogan but needs a bigger piece of posterboard. This protesting thing does involve a learning curve.

The kids filled up the DC Metro system and cheered when a real live congressman, Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin, addressed them. Cars honked for them and drivers gave them thumbs up. Cynical old bloggers were inspired by their general wonderfulness. And parents were supportive:

Beth Blake, who has two children at Walter Johnson High School, said that she supported their decision to attend the rally. “I’m so proud of them for finding voices and having the passion to do this,” she said. “I would not have done this when I was in high school, and I love how engaged they are.”

Friend of Wonkette Charlie Pierce says, of the kids (and some of their allegedly adult detractors):

Outside of the indecent algae like Jim Hoft, much of the reaction to what the kids are doing from the “grown-ups” of the right has been utterly hilarious. Ben Shapiro, who literally has been wrapped in wingnut welfare swaddling since he was their age, has been tut-tutting the country about taking the emotional and immature reaction of these students too seriously. In National Review, Shapiro, who had a syndicated column when he was 17, had the brass-balled audacity to write,

“What, pray tell, did these students do to earn their claim to expertise?”

High-larious, I tells ya.

But the real high comedy has been to watch the conservative intelligentsia embark on a serious fool’s errand—namely, trying to battle with educated teenagers on social media. I mean, don’t any of these people have kids between the ages of 10 and 20? This is like the Redcoats marching back to Boston from Lexington and Concord. They’re taking fire from behind every tree and every stonewall, and they’re getting slaughtered on platforms they’ve probably never heard of.

Oh, those wonderful kids. There's some important stuff going on right now. These kids are pretty damned inspiring, and we have a feeling they may even, finally, start getting heard.

Especially as they get registered and vote this fall.

And this is your OPEN THREAD!

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