Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg speaks at UCSB

People lined up to see David Hogg give a talk entitled “Engage in Change” at the University of California, Santa Barbara on Tuesday night.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor from Parkland, Florida spoke at Campbell Hall.

Hogg was well aware that his visit coincided with the fifth anniversary of the Isla Vista shootings and stabbings that left six students dead, and more than a dozen injured.

Hogg smiled when he mentioned that he surfed and enjoyed the campus by the beach earlier in the day.

Before talking about the Parkland shooting that left 17 people dead, Hogg explained that his dad carried a gun when he worked for the FBI. He said he learned a lot about guns and gun safety from his father when they lived in Los Angeles.

On the day of the shooting at his high school, his little sister lost four close friends. He said he felt empathy for her pain and sorrow.

As a student journalist, Hogg said he used his camera to stay calm. He said he decided to record his classmates as they hid from the shooter in a classroom.

“I interviewed fellow students, asked them about why they think gun violence has occurred,” Hogg said.

He said many of them talked about the National Rifle Association.

“So if we did die, they couldn’t say that talking about gun violence is standing on the bodies of dead children, if those children want to talk about gun violence.”

Hogg used strong language when talking about the NRA and the lack of government gun violence research.

He believes the NRA’s only goal is to sell guns.

Hogg took questions from the audience after his speech.

He plans to attend Harvard in fall.