Parkland Families Call on Congress to Take Action to Prevent School Shootings During Testimony at Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
WASHINGTON, July 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today members of Stand With Parkland - The National Association of Families for Safe Schools presented the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs with recommendations on how to prevent another school shooting, calling for congressional action before the second commemoration of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 and wounded just as many.
Tom Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son Luke was killed in the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting, testified before the Committee this morning. Hoyer, a founding member of Stand With Parkland, outlined the group's recommendations for increasing campus security, improving mental health screening and support programs, and ensuring the passage of laws supporting responsible firearms ownership.
"This is not an academic discussion – kids and teachers have been dying. Our experience in Parkland has led us to conclude that there is no single solution that can effectively solve this complex problem," Hoyer told the committee.
"School starts in less than two months. Now is the time to build on the progress that we made last year," he added. "Please don't let another commemoration for the Parkland victims – our loved ones – pass without concrete steps towards making our kids and teachers safe in school."
Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he wanted to move quickly to implement some of the most basic school safety recommendations made by Stand with Parkland.
"The number one thing we can do is create that sense of urgency so that every community, every school, and every state is implementing" fundamental safety measures.
He agreed that improvements can and must happen fast if Congress works with groups like Stand With Parkland.
"Work with this committee to design a simple but effective piece of legislation that is under our jurisdiction that can grab people's attention, create that sense of urgency, that can have the federal government do what we can do – so we're actually taking action."
Stand with Parkland is a national advocacy organization dedicated to practical public safety reforms focused on the safety of children and staff at schools by securing campuses, improved mental health support and responsible firearms ownership.
Link to committee testimony:
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/templates/watch.cfm?id=111501B9-5056-A066-606A-0E0880683EDC
For more information: www.standwithparkland.org
SOURCE Stand With Parkland
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