THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

And they are not at all willing to accept useless thoughts and prayers. The students who lost 17 of their friends and classmates are not staying quiet after the Parkland Massacre.

“Blood is being spilled on the floors of American classrooms, and that is not acceptable,” ­David Hogg, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., said Thursday in an interview.

“By working through bipartisanship and working through our differences . . . we can make an actual change. And who knows? Maybe we could save some children’s lives.”

In the familiar aftermath of America’s latest mass shooting, something new stood out: This time, the kids who survived the rampage on Wednesday were demanding to know why the adults who run the country had not done more to prevent it.

The comments came in an outpouring that began Wednesday and had not stopped by Thursday night. On Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook, they remembered peers and teachers and struggled with the emotion of the moment. Many students were interviewed on national TV, some for much of the day.

The pleas for action from Parkland struck a sharp contrast with the almost nonexistent ­debate on Capitol Hill over ­preventing gun violence. Calls to ban the semi­automatic weapon used by the shooter were considered a non-starter in a Republican-controlled Congress where lawmakers are heavily influenced by the National Rifle Association. Funding for new mental health services — one idea raised by some Republicans — would test conservative lawmakers’ commitment to cutting social spending.

A push to restrict “bump stocks,” the device that was used to accelerate gunfire during the massacre at a music festival in Las Vegas in October, seemed like it might succeed last fall with backing from the National Rifle Association. But momentum slipped within a few weeks. At the same time, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans sought ways to loosen existing restrictions on guns.

Students in Parkland called leaders’ lack of action inexcusable, pointing specifically to the age of the alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, 19.

“How are we allowed to buy guns at the age of 18 or 19? That’s something we shouldn’t be able to do,” Lyliah Skinner, who survived the shooting, told CNN.

Guillermo Bogan, who is home-schooled but has friends at Douglas High, said the alleged shooter’s age shows the selfishness of the gun industry.

“Some people will just do anything for a dollar,” Bogan said at a midday vigil for the victims. “There should be a background check — are you mentally ill or are you not mentally ill? And clearly he was mentally ill.”

Some students had harsh words for President Trump, who committed to tackling “the difficult issue of mental health” in an address to the nation that did not mention further gun restrictions.

Speaking to CNN, Douglas High student Isabella Gomez singled out Trump’s remark that students needing help should “turn to a teacher, a family member.”

“What could our teachers do in that situation, rather than save themselves, just as we were?” Gomez said. “I feel like he really needs to take into consideration all this gun control.”

As someone said, asking Trump to do anything about gun control is like asking a rock to take a hike with you. But if these students stay active, many will be able to vote in 2020.