Florida Shooting Survivor Says AR-15 Should Be Called 'Marco Rubio' Because They're Both Easy to Buy

A survivor of the deadly Florida school shooting criticized Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday, suggesting [...]

By Kelsey Patterson

A survivor of the deadly Florida school shooting criticized Sen. Marco Rubio on Friday, suggesting that he is "easy to buy" for accepting donations from the National Rifle Association.

"We should change the names of AR-15s to 'Marco Rubio' because they are so easy to buy," wrote Sarah Chadwick, a sophomore of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Her tweet posted on Friday morning has sparked nearly 30,000 retweets and over 100,000 likes.

Rubio has been publicly criticized by survivors of the Parkland shooting for accepting donations from the NRA, including during a televised CNN town hall connecting lawmakers, shooting survivors and victims' families.

During the panel, junior Stoneman Douglas student Cameron Kasky asked Rubio if he would commit to no longer accepting donations from the pro-guns group.

"Senator Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?" Kasky asked.

In response, Rubio told Kasky that "people buy into my agenda and I do support the Second Amendment and I also support the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe."

Rubio has an "A+" rating from NRA and has received $3,303,355 in donations from the organization over the course of his political career, The Hill reports.

The Florida senator was repeatedly grilled with questions and critical comments during the town hall event, including being called "pathetically weak" by the father of a teenager who was killed during the school shooting.

But despite his debate-inciting comments, Rubio was also praised for attending the event while other lawmakers declined the invitation to attend what would knowingly be a difficult session.

Rubio was also applauded by the crowd as he promised to support increasing the age limit for gun purchases and regulating the sale of high-capacity magazines.

"I traditionally have not supported looking at magazine clip size. And after this and some of the details I've learned about it, I'm reconsidering that position. And I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Because while it may not prevent an attack, it may save lives in an attack," Rubio said.

He also stood in agreement with President Donald Trump that bump stock devices, equipment used to increase the power of weapons, should be banned.

The conversation with Stoneman Douglas students and parents regarding gun control and school safety is one of more than 70 meetings set up while the Parkland residents are visiting both the Washington D.C. and Tallahassee.

The students have also organized a pro-gun control march in Washington, D.C., next month and organizers expect up to 500,000 people to attend the event.

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