Parkland survivors meet Waffle House hero who snatched semi-automatic weapon from gunman

'Meeting the young adults of the Parkland incident, so much fire and inspiration in their eyes, was a great joy'

Picture: (Getty Images / AFP Contributor#AFP / Contributor)

Survivors of the Parkland school shooting met James Shaw Jr, the man who disarmed a gunman who killed four people at a Nashville Waffle House, in Miami on Saturday amid a drive for gun reform by student groups.

Seventeen people were killed and another 17 were injured in the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February.

“Meeting the young adults of the Parkland incident so much fire and inspiration in their eyes was a great joy,” Mr Shaw tweeted with a photo of the group.

Mr Shaw also posted a photo of himself with Emma Gonzalez, one of the leaders of the Parkland students’ drive for gun reform, who helped to organise the March for Our Lives in Washington in March.

“I met one of my heroes today,” Mr Shaw tweeted along with a photo of the beaming Ms Gonzalez.

Mr Shaw grabbed the muzzle of the shooter's AR-15 semi-automatic weapon as he opened fire on diners, killing four and wounding four others.

Following the tragic incident, Mr Shaw told a press conference: “I’m not a hero, I’m just a regular person. I think anyone could have [done] what I did if they’re pushed into that kind of cage. You either have to react, or you’re to fold."

However, his crowdfunding campaign after the event raised more than $130,000 and he became a cause celebre of the gun reform movement, which is increasingly being driven by Parkland survivors.

Another Parkland survivor, Samantha Fuentes, tweeted: “My face is finally shrapnel free!”

Ms Fuentes grinned even though her face bore bruises and a hospital bandage stretching across it.

“Regardless of the fact I look like I lost a fight, inside I’m winning in a way. I’ve been struggling so hard to love my face again, thank you for all your support.”

Ms Fuentes is one of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who publicly approached other young shooting survivors as they push for better gun control.

Thanks to these student activists, among others, pressure is growing on politicians - whose links to the NRA have been widely criticised since the influential pro-gun lobbyists has funded many politicians’ campaigns to the tune of millions - to take concrete steps.

There have been 21 school shootings so far in 2018, meaning there has been an average of more than one shooting per week.

At at least 67 mass shootings have been perpetrated in the US this year.

Agencies contributed to this report