Parkland survivor David Hogg speaks out following gunman's guilty plea

Parkland survivor and gun control activist David Hogg spoke out on gun violence after shooter Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to murdering 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

Hogg began a video shared on Twitter by issuing a reminder "in the wake of what's being covered right now" that "this is a choice," he said, referencing gun violence in the U.S. "Our country does not have to live every single day with millions of parents fearing that their kids are going to die on their way to school or in their school."

"It is 100 percent a choice that so many of our elected officials make to protect somebody's right — like the shooter at my high school, to get an AR-15 and legally obtain it, despite making threats — versus our right ... not to be shot," he added.

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Cruz, 23, faced "17 charges of first-degree murder and an additional 17 charges of attempted murder," reports NPR. The case will now move to its sentencing phase, which will be presented before a jury expected to hear witness testimony and review evidence. Selection is scheduled to begin Jan. 4, 2022.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.