Zoe Weissman, a survivor of both the Parkland school shooting and the recent Brown University shooting, shared her harrowing experience during a recent interview with As It Happens. At just 20 years old, Weissman found herself in the midst of another traumatic incident, this time at her dorm room on Brown University’s campus, where she received a distressing phone call alerting her to the shooting.
Recalling her previous encounter with gun violence during the Parkland massacre in 2018, Weissman described the lasting impact it had on her mental health, leading to struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and a deep involvement in gun violence prevention activism. Her heightened sense of awareness and preparedness from growing up with lockdown drills played a crucial role in her response to the Brown University shooting.
As the lockdown unfolded that night, Weissman recounted the tense moments spent monitoring news updates and staying in touch with her family for reassurance. The incident resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries, with the alleged shooter being identified days later following a tragic series of events that included the killing of a Massachusetts professor.
With mass shootings continuing to plague the nation, Weissman expressed a mix of emotions including grief, anger, and frustration. She emphasized the urgent need for gun reform to prevent such tragedies from impacting more lives. Joining her in this advocacy is Mia Tretta, another survivor of gun violence at Saugus High School, who was also present at Brown University during the recent shooting.
Weissman, now a medical anthropology student, views her activism as a healing process and a way to regain a sense of control in the face of overwhelming circumstances. She stressed the importance of implementing measures to prevent individuals with harmful intentions from accessing firearms while preserving the rights of responsible gun owners.
As she and Tretta continue to support each other in their recovery and advocacy efforts, Weissman’s message to those resistant to gun reform is clear – the aim is not to disarm everyone but to safeguard communities from senseless violence by implementing sensible restrictions on gun access.