ORLANDO, Fla. – Several community activists and faith leaders came together Friday in Orlando for the Orlando Stands Against Gun Violence vigil.
Pulse shooting survivor Ricardo Negron said after the shooting in El Paso, Texas, he knew exactly how the victims and their familes felt.
"It was just an overwhelming feeling of knowing what they are going through. Knowing the fear, how desperate family members are going to feel like," said Negron. "It's not if it's going to happen, it's when it's going to happen and we want to have our communities prepare."Â
March For Our Lives member and Parkland school shooting survivor Kyra Parrow also said that people shouldn't accept mass shootings as a new way of life. Â
"Attending six funerals before I graduated high school is not normal. Having policemen guard my high school with AR-15s  is not normal," said Parrow.
Friday's vigil also including a reading the names of all 31 victims killed last weekend in two separate shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.Â
Orange County Sheriff John Mina, who's seen firsthand how a mass shooting affects a community, said that while he has seen progress with the state's gun laws, more needs to be done.
"We have the red flag law here in Florida, so that's a good thing. I know my agency and several agencies in central Florida have used it, but we need to continue to strengthen those laws," said Mina.
On Saturday Aug. 17th outside the Orlando City Hall, another rally is scheduled, to call for an end to gun violence.Â
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