TALLAHASSEE, Fla — The terror of last Thursday’s school shooting is something 19-year-old Florida State University freshman Madalyn Propst says she can’t forget.
“I thought the shots were a car backfiring, and I think it was like a little bit of denial,” Propst recalled. “But I saw the alert, and my first thought was like, oh, some intern, like, really messed up, like, and didn't put a test on this. And then when the sirens started, it became very, very clear that this was real, that it wasn't a test.”
That moment of disbelief quickly gave way to chaos. Like hundreds of others, Propst fled, leaving behind laptops, shoes, and any sense of normalcy, as a gunman opened fire on campus, killing two and injuring at least six others.
WATCH: ‘How Much Is Enough?’: FSU Students Demand Action After Campus Shooting
“The only thing I could think about was I wish I had called my Mom last night so that she could worry a little bit less,” said the freshman.
Now, Propst is the one left worrying — not just about healing, but about what comes next, and whether anything will actually change. That’s why on Tuesday, just days after the shooting, she joined a handful of classmates at the state capitol, urging lawmakers to act.
“I’m just angry with my legislature, it is their job,” said Propst. “They took an oath to protect and serve their constituencies… I just have to ask them, how much is enough? How many shootings is it going to take for them to take this seriously?”
What reform might look like remains up for debate. Proposals range from installing physical locks on classroom doors to more comprehensive Democratic-led gun reform bills, including stricter background checks and limits on ammunition sales. But with just two weeks left in Florida’s legislative session, none of those proposals have made progress.
“We can do better. We can listen to Florida's young people and then act to protect them as best as we can. It's the least that we owe them,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa).
After the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Florida lawmakers responded. In what’s become a rare bipartisan move for gun restrictions, they passed red flag laws and raised the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21.
However, some Republicans have since pushed to undo those reforms. This year, Governor Ron DeSantis has taken up that charge, calling the laws unconstitutional.
“You can have somebody that's a Marine… dumped in some place in the Middle East carrying a rifle around, defending the country, and then they come home and they can't even buy a rifle to go hunt,” said DeSantis at the start of the session, last month. “That just doesn't make sense. I mean, are you an adult or not?”
So far, the Florida Senate has declined to consider those repeals, meaning for now, the laws remain intact. Still, students aren’t taking any chances.
This week, 28 former Parkland students now attending FSU sent a letter to the governor, urging him to reconsider his stance. “You’ve traded our futures for political capital – last week, we paid the cost,” the letter read, in part.
“This energy is still there, despite their best efforts to squash it,” said Jackie Corin, executive director of March for Our Lives. “So I hope that the governor knows that we are not going away. We will continue to demand what we know is right.”
Madalyn Propst is now among them, saying this fight is no longer optional.
“I will be just as angry, just as sad, and just as loud next session and every session after that, until they get us the legislation that we need to keep people safe,” she said.
Efforts on Tuesday were just the beginning. FSU students said they’re planning more action in the days ahead — including a march from the FSU Westcott Building to the capitol, and face-to-face meetings with lawmakers in offices, hallways, and committee rooms.
