Yesterday the US suffered from it's 18th school shooting in 2018. It was announced early this morning that 17 people lost their lives at the hands of a suspect believed to be Nikolas Cruz - a 19 year-old ex-student of the Florida high-school.

The deadliest school shooting since 2012's Sandy Hook massacre, yesterday's events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland have shaken America once more.

Whilst celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West and Ellen DeGeneres lead the way on social media with messages urging congress for tighter gun control laws, it was an emotional plea on CNN that has captured the emotions of many.

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Yesterday evening CNN invited the counterterrorist analyst and former CIA and FBI official Philip Mudd to discuss the deadly events of the day. It was then that Mudd broke down in tears as he tried to talk about the shooting.

He returned after a swift break to discuss the legal aspects of the shooting, but it's his emotional plea that has gone viral.

After explaining how he has spoken to unwilling ISIS fighters, Mudd's voice starts to break as he implores, 'I have 10 nieces and nephews. We're talking about bump stocks, we're talking about legislation.'

Here he is referencing America's gun laws and legislations around bump stocks, which are basically after-market gun modifications that allows semi-automatic firearm to mimic the firing speed of fully automatic firearms. Many people say they're unnecessary for most citizens to have access to.

He continued, 'A child of God is dead. Cannot we acknowledge in this country that we cannot accept this? I can't do it, Wolf, I'm sorry. I can't do it.'

Many people on Twitter supported his sentiment, and thanked him for his candour.

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Hopefully this time discussions around effective legislation and sensible gun restrictions sticks.

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Daisy Murray
Digital Fashion Editor

Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.