Florida High School Shooting Survivor During First Day Back: ‘I’m So Grateful to Be Here’

One of the survivors of the Florida high school shooting recently spoke about her first day back in class, telling reporters, “I’m so grateful to be here.”

During a press conference on Monday morning, Maddy Wilford added that she and her fellow survivors wouldn’t be here “without those officers and first responders and these amazing doctors.”

She also thanked people from all over the nation who have been sending support to her and the other students, saying, “I definitely wouldn’t be here without it.”

“I love the fact that we’re sticking together through this and I’m just glad that I’m making a full recovery and everything’s been going so smoothly,” Wilford concluded.

Almost two weeks after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, murdering 17 students and teachers, the survivors of the shooting have returned to resume classes.

Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, one for each of the people he confessed to killing.

Many survivors of the shooting have taken to speaking out about their experience and are using their new platform to call for a revaluation of gun control laws.

Following the tragedy, Florida Gov. Rick Scott called for a review of mental health reforms.

“Next week in Tallahassee, I’m going to sit down with state leaders, we’re going have a real conversation about two things: How do we make sure when a parent is ready to send their child to school, in Florida, that parent knows that child is going to be safe?” Scott said during a joint news conference.

“Number two: How do we make sure that this individual with mental illness does not touch a gun? We need to have a real conversation so we have public safety for our schools in this state,” Scott continued.

“They’re committed to provide the resources and have a real conversation about how do we make sure we have public safety. I want to make sure that my children, my grandchildren, yours, everybody in this state, can wake up and be safe. I’m going to stay here and do everything I can,” Scott added.

Scott isn’t the only governor who has been affected by the violent shooting. In the days after the tragic Parkland, Florida shooting, Ohio’s governor softened his Second Amendment stance on his campaign website.

CNN reports that the page was previously titled, “Defending the Second Amendment,” and featured photos of Ohio Gov. John Kasich in an ammunition store.

Sometime in the days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, the page title was changed to “COMMON SENSE ON THE SECOND AMENDMENT,” and much of the verbiage was altered as well.

“John Kasich supports the Second Amendment and has signed multiple bills to protect gun rights. As a pragmatic conservative, Governor Kasich also recognizes the need for common-sense solutions to our nation’s problems,” the page description now reads. “In recent years, our country has been devastated by a dramatic increase in school shootings and mass killings – many with the use of semi-automatic weapons. Governor Kasich believes that we should not be afraid to learn from these tragedies and take appropriate action.”