Few can claim to have survived one mass shooting, let alone two.
At just 20 years old, Zoe Weissman finds herself part of a club no one would willingly join.
As a sophomore, Weissman recounts being in her dorm at Brown University on December 13 when a friend’s panicked call alerted her to a potential shooting.
Due to her previous trauma, Weissman immediately suspected the worst, a reaction she attributes to her past experiences.
Back in 2018, Weissman was near a middle school when she heard the shots from the tragic Parkland, Florida, incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed seventeen lives. She was only 12 years old then.
The impact of that event lingered, leading to her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder and her subsequent involvement in gun violence prevention activism.
Reflecting on her heightened awareness and readiness during the Brown University incident, Weissman mentioned being more vigilant and attuned to her surroundings compared to her peers. She credits this hyper-awareness to growing up amidst lockdown drills and the pervasive threat of school shootings.
During the lockdown, lasting until the following morning, Weissman secured her dorm room, switching into a survival mode familiar from her past experience.
As she anxiously awaited updates, connected with family, and absorbed the unfolding events, Weissman’s family also grappled with the distress of the situation and the impact it had on her and themselves.
The shooting at Brown University resulted in two fatalities and nine injuries, with the alleged perpetrator being identified five days later, having also been linked to a previous incident involving a Massachusetts professor.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has witnessed at least 394 mass shootings in 2025, a statistic that adds to Weissman’s mix of emotions—grief, sadness, anger, and frustration.
Weissman emphasizes the personal toll of gun violence, urging for preventive measures to avoid such widespread impact, which she believes is only achievable through stricter gun control without impeding law-abiding citizens.
Notably, Mia Tretta, another survivor at Brown University, shares a similar narrative, having previously experienced gun violence at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita. Both Tretta and Weissman have connected post-incident, discussing future plans