A survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting who was subject to an awkward interview on an Australian news show has responded to the backlash it received.
Evan Todd was interviewed by Weekend Today about the 19th anniversary of the shooting, in which 13 people were killed.
The show went horribly wrong after host Allison Langdon twice referred to Mr Todd as "Eric". Eric Harris was one of the two shooters in the attack.
During the massacre, Harris and Dylan Klebold approached Mr Todd in the school's library, where he begged for his life before the shooters took their own, he told Weekend Today.
News.com.au spoke to Mr Todd following the controversy of the interview, in which he said teachers should be armed with guns. During the Weekend Today interview, the hosts had "agreed to disagree" with Mr Todd on the matter.
"There definitely seems like there is a lot of backlash," Mr Todd told News.com.au.
"Personally I don't care about the disrespect. I'm a big boy, in more ways than one. I've handled worse. I just appreciate the opportunity to promote liberty for all."
The segment turned ugly when Ms Langdon questioned Mr Todd over student-led anti-gun movement March For Your Lives, which has grown after 2018's Valentine's Day school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
"It's not a movement that I stand behind or support. I question whether it's being run by students because I've been doing this for 19 years trying to get the message out that the heart and the soul is the real issue here, not guns," Mr Todd in responses to Ms Langdon's question.
"I know how hard it is to organise a movement. There's a lot of money and a lot of people helping them and it's frustrating to see that they're going after a political point."
Ms Langdon questioned Mr Todd, asking, "But you can't deny that the anger of these students is real, Eric?"
"I don't doubt their anger is real," Mr Todd retorted.
"I don't discount their anger or sadness or what they went through, because I know what they went through. I discount their position and their ideology."
Mr Todd has since shared the interview on his Facebook page, gaining hundreds of "likes".
Newshub.
