Sense laws with regard to guns in america. Thank you, senator. I just dont understand why so many students lives, so many teachers lives, all of this for it to change. Why does it have to take so many . By the first time, it should have been changed. But its gone so far. You lost a future olympic medalist, whose funeral i was supposed to be attending, but change is more important, because thats what they would have wanted. Why did it have to take so much blood to be spilt, so much money for you guys to gain from not answering the question, mr. Rubio . Why is this happening . Why arent we why hasnt this changed already . Why do we have to be the last school . Why wasnt it the first school the last school . And you can ask the same question, why two years ago when 49 lives were taken in the pulse nightclub and nothing was done. Not in washington, not in tallahassee, not one thing offered by the administration in tallahassee. And here we are, going through this again. And its gone to unfortunately very possibly continue unless we get some common sense laws on the book. Thank you, senator nelson. I want to bring chris grady back. Cameron introduced us all to him. Hes a senior and he recently enlisted in the army. And thank you for that, chris grady. And he has a question for senator rubio. I would just like to thank you again for coming out and listening to us, because thats a lot more than can be said for our socalled president and governor. I believe i speak for myself and my colleagues in the Neveragain Movement when i say, though we might not see eye to eye on a lot of these issues, we need you and your colleagues on both sides to come together with us and find compromise if we are to ever to solve this epidemic that is im sorry. This epidemic that is plaguing our country. Senator rubio, i believe a big issue, when it comes to the debate about semiautomatic weapons and automatic weapons is largecapacity magazines. Would you agree that there is no place in our society for largecapacity magazines capable of firing over from 15 to 30 rounds, and if not, more. First, let me thank you for our willingness to serve our country. Youre doing it tonight and youre going to do it in uniform and were very grateful to you. Thank you. And im glad you asked that question, because i traditionally have not supported looking at magazine clip size. And after this and some of the details ive learned about it, im reconsidering that position. And ill tell you why. Ill tell you why. Because while it may not prevent an attack, it may save lives in an attack. And ill let the authorities discuss at the appropriate time why i say that. But suffice it to say, i believe that there will be evidence that at a key moment in this incident three or four people, three or four people might be alive today because of something that this deranged killer did, had to do. And obviously, its not for me to make Law Enforcement announcements. I dont know what the right number is. I dont know what i know that there are, for example, handguns that have 17. So well have to get into that debate, but that is something i believe that we can reach a compromise in this country, and that im willing to reconsider. Because i do believe, and in that sentence, it wouldnt have prevented the attack, but it would have made it less lethal. And thats the kind of thing that i hope my colleagues and thats why i hope these discussions are important. Because they do lead you to rethink positions after youve taken new information and new input from people. By the way, american politics is the only part of our lives where changing your mind based on new information is a bad thing. We do it in every aspect of our lives. And we have to stop doing that, as well. So that is an issue ill look into, absolutely. Thank you, senator. Theres no question that the Republican Party is more allied with the nra than the democratic party, but it also is worth pointing out that the democrats controlled the house, the senate, and the white house in 2009 and 2010 and gun control was not a priority. Thats just a fact. Senator nelson, was that a mistake by your party . Uh, yes. When the senate had 60 votes, as we did, until ted kennedy died, thats how we got the Affordable Care act passed, and yes, Gun Legislation under those circumstances should have been considered, because there had been a lot of massacres up to that point. It was sandy hook that occurred later in the obama administration, that a lot of people thought would be the turning point, because of these little first, second, and third graders gunned down. And yet, nothing was done. And then you go through all the other shootings. And so, i can tell you that in the meantime, until we do get 60 votes again in the u. S. Senate, when we can guarantee that we would get the legislation through, im going to continue to work with my colleagues and specifically senator rubio to see whatever we can get. The hard reality is that there are not a majority of senators, primarily the ones that have been supported, financially, by the nra, theres not a majority of senators that are going to be willing to do a lot. Im glad what senator rubio has said here tonight. That he is willing to rethink his positions. And, so, im looking forward to doing everything that we can, and accomplish as much as we can, given the circumstances politically that were in. Thank you, senator nelson. And senator nelson said in the meantime. In the meantime doesnt mean in the next five years or seven years or ten years. It means in the next few weeks. On monday, when we return to washington, d. C. , were going to try to do this thing called unanimous consent where you dont really have a vote, its just unless any senator objects, it passes the law to pass the background check. I believe there are 60 votes to ban bump stocks. I believe we could have 60 votes at the federal level to change the age from 18 to 21 on the purchase of any rifles. I believe and i know youre a cosponsor of the Safe School Act. Prevent, you know, its the Safe School Act thats been filed by a member of congress from florida that is going to be filed on monday its going to be filed on monday by senator hatch of utah, that i believe we can also pass in the senate. So there are things that we can begin to do on issues that there is consensus on. My biggest fear remains that our Attention Span on this country on virtually every issue is seven to ten days and then we pivot you know, were one tweet away or one story away from focusing on something else. And we cannot continue on an issue of this important to make that, to allow that to happen. So i do think we can make progress. Congressman, next question is for you. I want to bring in annabel quinn clapper, shes a sophomore, she was in the building when the shooting occurred and she has a question for you. Hi. Hi. When it comes to the safety and security of our students in our schools, how come there arent equal methods of protection deployed to all schools, despite their social infrastructure, crime rates, and Median Income . I actually this is a pretty straightforward question. Every school, every school should have the security thats necessary to keep the students safe. Every school in every part of the community. So thats pretty straightforward. But theres a lot more that we have to do, and i just want to i want to talk about, as part of this, just for a second, the debate that weve heard, because ive got to tell you, it sounds and you can correct me if im wrong, but its starting to sound like what weve always heard before. And heres the thing. This isnt its not a 5k. Its a sprint right now, for the people in this community. The fact is, the fact is, banning bump stocks, something that converts a semiautomatic weapon into a killing machine, thats we dont need to think about that. We need to do it next week next week thank you. And putting and fixing the background checks, again, senator rubio, i appreciate the effort to pass legislation that the nra can live with, with that doesnt that fixes, that helps with the background check. But it doesnt require everyone to get one. Thats not complicated. Yes, maam . I just want to know, will my School Campus be safe when i return . Because i plan to not return until i know that something is going to change. And im not the only one. I can i can tell you i can tell you that the commitment from superintendent runcie and from sheriff israel and from Law Enforcement and from your teachers and from everyone who is focused on School Security is going to do everything you can to make sure that it is safe when you go back. Because the real issue is that youre you have to ask that question. [ inaudible question ] sorry . [ inaudible question ] well, then, if there were if there were issues that happened yesterday, then those issues need to get fixed before Marjory Stoneman douglas gets reopened. Thats absolutely right. Look, i cant i can tell you that we need to have the Community Come together. Everyone whos involved in security needs to be involved to make sure that your school is safe. And everyone who cares about the safety of the schools, who represents you either in tallahassee or in washington, also has to do everything they can to make sure that youre safe. And when Congress Goes back next week, we need to move forward, we need to take care of the bump stock ban. We need to have universal background checks. We have to have pass the bill that says, if youre too dangerous to fly, you shouldnt be able to buy a gun. All of those things should be done next week. And heres the last thing, heres the last thing. The discussion thats taking place here tonight is important. Its really important for everyone here to hear it. But the reason things are going to be different this time is because the people in this room and the people around the country who are inspired by the people in this room. And thats High School Students and College Students and adults in every part of the country, theyre not going to let this debate just go back. Theyre not going to simply go back and let us go to washington and have panels and discussions and hearings. I said it in the beginning. Jake, ive just got to say it again. The time for talking about how we fix things in washington when it comes to guns is over. Its over. We know what we have to do. This is not and i want to just finish with this. This is not a partisan issue. Ive spoken to so many republicans, so many in this room, who have said, look, at this point, there is one issue and one issue only that i am focused on. And that is making sure that we take action to keep our kids and our schools safe and to get dangerous weapons of war off of our streets. That has to be our priority and weve got to do it now. Thank you, congressman. I want to thank senator rubio, senator nelson, and congressman deutch. Your presence here tonight has made an tremendous impression on all of us. And as senator rubio said, minds have been opened for tonight. When we come back, a National Spokesman for the nra will be here and the Broward County sheriff will be here to answer the students questions face to face. Stay with us. Whats with him . Hes happy. Your familys finally eating vegetables thanks to our birds eye voila skillet meals. And they only take 15 minutes to make. Augh family giggling oh my. Birds eye voila so veggie good. [background noise] a little to the left. 1, 2, 3, push easy easy easy horn honking alright alright weve all got places to go weve all got places to go Washington Crossing the delaware turnpike . Surprising. Whats not surprising . How much money sean saved by switching to geico. Big man with a horn. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. Welcome back to cnns town hall with the students and families and faculty to have Stoneman Douglas high school. In the days following the shooting, many students expressed their frustration about one group, the nra. Dana loesch is the National Spokesperson for the nra. She is here with us along with Broward County sheriff, scott israel. Were going to be asking them questions in this segment. Sheriff israel, i do want to start with you about a question that was asked earlier. You ordered today that a deputy or deputies in Broward County will be present at douglas school, but also at schools throughout Broward County, carrying rifles, armed. This afternoon, President Trump suggested that teachers, we should think about arming them as well. We discussed that a little bit earlier. Im wondering what you as a Law Enforcement officer, what you think . I dont believe teachers should be armed. I believe teachers should teach. But thats exactly whats wrong with this country. We have people in washington, d. C. , representatives, senators and legislators telling teachers what they should do without asking teachers, what do you want to do . Okay. I want to bring in right now senior emma gonzalez. She has a question. She has a question for dana. [ cheers and applause ] first of all, i want to thank mr. Fostner for teaching us everything we learned. I could no have written that speech without you. Half of that was like directly from notes and i want to thank you for that. Second of all oh, i had a thing i was going to say. Happens to the best of us. All right. Dana loesch, i want to know that we will support your two children in the way that you will not. The shooter at our school obtained weapons that he used on us legally. Do you believe that it should be harder to obtain the semiautomatic and weapons weapons, and the modifications for these weapons to make them fully automatic like bump stocks. Well, first off, emma, i want to applaud you for standing up and speaking out. And for anyone who has ever criticized you or any of these students up here, including people who have been on my side of this issue, i dont think that anyone should deny you your voice or deny you your position because you are young. We want to thank you for that. I was a very politically active teenager. And im on this stage as a result of that. Think of how far you all could go as a result of voicing your beliefs. Now, i want to answer your question and i want to be allowed the opportunity, which is why i am here, to talk and have this discussion with you all and answer these questions. This is why i came down here. I dont believe that this insane monster should have ever been able to obtain a firearm. Ever. I do not think that he should have gotten his hands on any kind of weapon. Thats number one. This individual was nuts. And i, nor the millions of people that i represent as a part of this organization that im here speaking for, none of us support people who are crazy, who are a danger to themselves, who are a danger to others getting their hands on a firearm. And we have been, for over 20 years, and i have been screaming about this, which is why im here, because i have kids. And im not just fighting for my kids, im fighting for you. Im fighting for you. Im fighting for all of you. Because i dont want anyone to ever be in this position again. I want everyone to think about this for one second, and this goes right into your question. Do you know that it is not federally required for states to actually report people who are prohibited possessors, crazy people, people who are murderers . No . Weve been actually talking about that for a long time. Let me answer the question. Let me answer the question. You can shout me down when im finished, but let me answer emmas question. It is not federal law for states to report convictions to the nics system. Its not federally mandated. Thats the big question. And i wish that this network had also covered this more, as other Media Networks would have covered it. Thats a huge wait a second wait a second you guys, if i cant hear her statement, i cant come up with a rebuttal. Please. Wait a second. Do you guys want to stop mentally insane individuals from getting firearms . Yes . They have to be in the system, if they are convicted. You can convict them, you can adjudicate them mentally unfit. If a state does not report it to the National Crime information center, when you run that form, this individual passed this madman passed a background check. How was he able to pass a background check . He was able to pass a background check because we have a system thats flawed. The Sutherland Springs murderer was able to pass a background check because the air force did not report that record. I think im going to interrupt you real quick and remind you that the question is actually, do you believe it should be harder to obtain these semiautomatic weapons and modifications to make them fully automatic, such as bump stocks . Well, i think the atf is deciding about bump stocks right now. The president ordered the doj to look into im asking your opinion as a representative of the nra. Thats what the nras position has been. Whats yours . Im talking for them. These are the 5 million members that im here representing. Thats what that groups position has been on that. So that answers your question. And they spoke about that before the president made a move, and they spoke about that before attorney general Jeff Sessions made an announcement about that, too. So that answers your question with that. Let me interject for a second, though. And i understand youre standing up for the nra and i understand thats what youre supposed to do. But you just told this group of people that you are standing up for them. Youre not standing up for them until you say, i want less weapons. [ cheers and applause ] these people want three things. And i come here tonight with 39 years in Law Enforcement. Ive baker acted people. Ive taken weapons from people. The men and women that ive worked with for 40 years. We know how to keep america safe, number one. We have to youre right, we have to take weapons out of the hands of people that suffer from mental illness. We have to expand the baker act. We have to be able, when Police Encounter someone, emma, when Police Encounter someone who has gone through a mental illness, we dont only have to wait or we shouldnt have to wait until they are a danger to themselves or someone else. We should be able to take them to an institution thats going to examine them and take weapons away from them, right then and there, at that time. And sheriff, youre a member of the nra, yes . No, youre not a member of the nra. No. I want to bring in Diane Wolf Rogers who teaches ap world history. One of the victims, carmen schentrop, was in her class and she has a question for dana, as well. Dana, i viewed the dead body of carmen schentrup, our student. I watched her mother and father kiss her goodbye one last time and close the top of her casket. I looked at robert and hugged him, my dear, dear robert, and i told you that carmen, she died a martyr. Our kids have started a revolution. Im proud and im inspired to be a part of never again. Now, heres my question. Im a history teacher. I asked my students to define terms for me. So i would like you to define something for me, because ive wondered about it. And i want to know. What is your definition of a wellregulated militia, as stated in the Second Amendment . And using supporting detail, explain to me how [ cheers and applause ] let me finish let me finish and using supporting detail, explain to me how an 18yearold with a military rifle is well regulated . And the world, our country, our nation is going to grade your answer. Well, by all means [ cheers and applause ] and, and i want to say as well, i cant as a parent, i see my kids in these students, i see my kids in the students that are here today. What you went through is horrid. Im not going to pretend to understand what you went through. There are no words for it. Its monstrous. And no nobody should have to endure that. I want to answer your question. George mason was one of the founders and he said, the militia is the whole of the people. Its every man, its every woman. That is who the militia is, in the context of the time, a wellregulated militia meant an american man, an american woman, a citizen of the United States of america, who could operate and service their firearm. How is an 18yearold this is not that was in the context of the time. Yes. How, now, is an 18yearold with a military Assault Rifle well regulated . Use supporting detail. Right. Hes not hes not he shouldnt have been able to get a firearm. He should have been barred from getting a firearm. He bought it legally and he should not have been able to. He should not have been able to so why havent you done something about it im trying to do it. So what are you the nra, with going to do about it . Let me answer. If were here to have a discussion, thats why im here. I want you to ask me every question, i want to answer every question that you have. Lets have some respect. Shes here to answer the questions. Lets let her answer the questions. He should have, a, never have been able to get a firearm. B, people who are crazy should not be able to get firearms. People who are dangerous to themselves and other individuals should not be able to obtain a firearm. We and there isnt a loophole. Its a criminal act. And thats what we have to start calling it. We have to start number one, following up on red flags. 39 times in the past year, it was Law Enforcement or it was social services that went to this individuals home. Now, there are two florida statutes. One of them, i dont know if the comment he would have put on youtube would have qualified for you to baker act them. But telling other students that he was going to murder and kill them, i think would qualify under a Florida State statute for you to baker act him. Let me respond to that. First of all, weve talked about the Broward Sheriffs Office and some other local agencies and the fbi getting tips and what have you. America, theres one person responsible for this act. Thats the detestable, violent killer. He is responsible for this act. No other nobody else but him. Theres three things we need to do in america to keep america safe. Number one, we have to use through crime prevention, through environmental design. Build schools differently so theyre harder to penetrate. Number two. We need to be empowering Police Officers and deputy sheriffs throughout the nation to be able to take people who are an immediate threat to themselves or an immediate threat to someone else to be examined. And we need to take guns away from them, forever. They should never get them back. They should have to go through a psychological evaluation. And if we have a doctor or a clinician have to sign their john hancock and say, that person should be given back their Second Amendment right, were not going to see doctors do that. But, lastly, we do need to have some gun control reform. 18yearolds should never have a rifle an 18yearold kid should not have a rifle. 18yearold kid theyre not adults yet. Theyre in high school. These kids should not have a rifle. Bump stocks should be illegal. They should be outlawed forever. Automatic rifles should be outlawed forever. And anybody who says different, i dont know about other people, but emma and i, were calling bs on that. [ cheers and applause ] earlier tonight earlier tonight, im going right to you. Earlier tonight, senator rubio said that he supported the notion of raising the legal purchasing age from 18 to 21 for semiautomatic weapons. That is not the position of the nra. Why is it not your position . Well, its not the position of the nra, because i think that if were we are asking young men and women to go and serve their country, that they should be able to also have a firearm. Im also thinking of young women there is a military exemption. True, true, but specifically, where it relates to long guns. Because its 21 for handguns, 18 for long guns. But i also think of young women, and youve had a previous town hall where you spoke with a young woman named kim corben who was a College Student who was brutally raped in her dorm and she was under the age of 21. And one of the things that she speaks out about loudly now is how she wished she would have had the ability to have some sort a shotgun, whatever it was, to be able to defend herself. I was 20 years old when i lived on my own. I didnt live with my parents when i was 20. I lived on my own when i was 20 years old. And i didnt well, not at first, but i had a shotgun. I think we have to take that into consideration. We have to think about individuals. If youre old enough to vote, youre old enough to drive a car, youre old enough to serve your country, i think that you are old enough if now, heres the caveat. If anyone wants to listen to the caveat. The caveat, though, jake, and for everybody out there, is if you are not a danger to yourself or others. Thats what it comes back to. If you are not a threat to yourself or your community, that is what it comes back to. I want to go to laurie who lost her daughter, alyssa, in the shooting. Alyssa was 14. She was a Soccer Player and laurie has a question for dana. Laurie . Please hold all applause until the end. Wake up, america. Fight for the survival of your children. Fight for the right to go to school and to feel safe. No child should ever turn to their mother at 6 years of age and ask, mommy, am i going to die today . My name is laurie alhadeff, my daughter is alyssa alhadeff. She lost her life at school, shot three times. She was not able to be identified until 2 00 a. M. In the morning. Along with 16 other parents who is lost their children, i am tired of people doing enough. This horrific incident has to be the catalyst that finally puts things in action. Lets make our schools safe again, alyssaalhadeff. In 2013, the nra released the 220page report to call for more security at schools. It detailed security guards, teacher training, bombsniffing dogs, expanded Police Presence in schools. Here we are, five years later and nothing has been done. Our teachers need to be properly trained to teach our children how to handle a code red. We can visually mark hiding areas in the classrooms to protect our children from being gunned down. Where are our metal detectors . Where is our bulletproof glass . Where are childrens i. D. Badges with the photos, names, and the ability to open locked doors . Where are the new versions of amber alerts before School Safety . Where are the lists of things to do and the ability to do them that every school needs to have in order to provide safety for our kids. Where is the funding to protect the ones who will be the future of our nation . Who is the funding safety who is funding the safety protocols . How are state and federal teams working together . How do the local Police Forces support our schools . Who will lead the programs to pass new laws that require security cameras, bulletproof shields in classrooms, more drills for teachers to help manage things such as things that they have faced. Where are the School Psychologists . Who is helping to put a plan for that in place . And why hasnt anything been done since sandy hook . How many more of these do we need to endure before something happens. We need an emergency meeting now put politics aside and put our children first. I dont want to see another parent lose a child in this senseless way i want us to all send our kids to school with the feeling of security in the name of alyssaalhadeff and the 16 others who lost their lives and the thousands who are traumatized and speaking up for their rights. We must bring about change. Clear calls to action to make our school safe again. How do the nra and lawmakers Work Together . Who is going to pay for this . What is the plan to put things into action . These are my questions . And we all want a clear answer. Enough talk what is your action . [ cheers and applause ] so in 2013, the nra did release its National School shield Task Force Major recommendations. What did happen with them . 150 schools across the country have implemented them so far. Its up to the schools and the parents of those schools, if they want to use those resources and they want to use those suggestions in order to, you know, as this mother was suggesting, and those were great questions. The nra has already partnered with Law Enforcement. In fact, this organization is one of the biggest partners of Law Enforcement. Weve trained thousands of Law Enforcement members all across the country. And were still expanding. And this is one of the things that i want to make clear, as well. Its i think its up to schools and parents to determine what they want to do in their schools. Thats the nra is not going to make that decision. If they want to have armed guards, if they want to have retired military. If they choose and teachers volunteer to be armed, i think thats up to each individual school and the teachers of that school district. But if they also want a solution that doesnt involve firearms, if they want to talk about checkpoint systems, if they want to talk about reinforcing doors, the nra, our resources are at their disposal. Thats what School Shield was created for. Sheriff . I agree with what dana said. But i think the problem is too many people want to do the same old, same old. The author said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. We in this country, we need to do Something Different. If it doesnt work, it doesnt work. But lets try doing Something Different. Lets try to set if you have a Football Team and theyre getting burned deep, youre going to not let that same receiver youre going to give them some help, youre going to bring a safety over the top, youre going to do Something Different. And i think what we need to do in america is do Something Different and have less guns on our streets, not more guns. Im just going to give dana the chance to rebut and well go to the next question. We had three lawmakers on this stage and only one of them hinted at reinforcing the background check system. It is only as good as the records submitted to it. Only one of them even got anywhere close to mentioning that. We have to have more than 38 states submit records. Thats number one. Number two, we have to develop better protocol to follow up on red flags. This monster carrying bullets to school, carrying knifes to school, assaulting students, assaulting his parents, 39 visits in the past year. That should never have been allowed to get that far. And i dont have the authority or the resources to follow up on that. If you want to give me the authority and resources, ill follow up on those red flags. But i dont have that authority to do so. This is why we have to start asking these questions. I want to see your network ask these questions. I want to see these headlines in the media more. We have to follow up on protocol and why are the states not complying with this law . So lets talk about red flags. The next question comes from jim gard. Hes a math teacher. He had taught he had taught three of the victims and he has a question for sheriff israel. Sheriff israel, as far as i know, the fbi would be the Expert Organization and would have the experience and knowhow to take tips, conduct an investigation, and conclude whether to act or not to act on such tips. It seems as though the fbi certainly had enough cause to investigate the case prior to the 17 murders. Its fair to say that people are disgusted with the inaction of this organization. Why were these tips considered unimportant enough to not have further action . Who would make this decision . Has the fbi apologized for their failure to act upon these tips . Who ultimately would be the person who decided that this now very relevant case was irrelevant . So, sheriff, obviously, this is a question for the fbi. I want to point out that we did invite the fbi director and somebody from the field office in miami to come here tonight to answer your questions. They declined. But their excuse that this is part of an ongoing investigation. But if you would address what you can about the red flags, not just the tips called into the fbi, but also the visits by the police to the shooters house. How does that dana is talking about getting those red flags into some sort of system to prevent that person from being able to buy a firearm. How would that work . It obviously didnt in this case. How should it work . Lets start out by saying, if we had this conversation two or three or four years ago, i would say the primary group of people, the primary industry thats going to protect our children are Law Enforcement. Now i actually believe its the lawmakers. Things have to change in washington, d. C. , tallahassee, and state capitals to make these changes. Thank you. The Broward Sheriffs Office, we received tips, numerous tips on this killer. Some we answered by phone, some were out of state, some we went out there. Our command staffer actually looking into some of these tips to make sure we did everything right. If we made a mistake, ill act accordingly and deal with it. The person responsible is the agent or the detective or the person who received the tip and didnt exercise their Due Diligence and took it where they needed to be. All that being said, what im asking the lawmakers to give police all over this country is more power. In florida, we call it a baker act. It allows us to take an individual to be, against their will, involuntarily, to go to a Mental Health facility and be treated. What im saying is that if a Police Officer that we pay a good salary to keep us safe feels that the totality of circumstances, the computer, the bedroom, the pictures, the photographs, speaking to the friends, if we feel the totality of the circumstances rises to the level where were concerned this person might be mentally ill, we need to power to take every firearm they have away from them and bring them to a Mental Health facility. 39 visits not meet that standard . 39 visits, assaulting students, assaulting parents, taking bullets and knives to school did not meet that standard . Which are you speaking about specifically . I know theres one florida statute, if hes sending messages, threatening to kill people, that right there, under Florida State law who did he send the message to kill people to . Buzzfeed, ap, reuters, yahoo news, all reported to other students. Who was the victim . But reuters cant be a victim. The only person who can be a victim they were reporting it, sheriff, is what im saying. So if an individual was threatened and it was real, thats a crime. Yes. But if he was posting thing they were threatened with death. They were threatened that they were going to plead bleed. They were threatened that they were going to be killed. Whats your specific case . He had already taken bullets and knifes to school. He had already assaulted people. He had assaulted his parent. He had assaulted other students. 39 visits. And this was known to the intelligence and Law Enforcement community. Now, im not look, im not saying that you can be everywhere at once. Youre not you have to follow up on these red flags. Youre not the litmus test youre absolutely not the litmus test for how Law Enforcement should follow up. Youre wrong. There werent 39 visits. Some of them, they were goa, some of them called from other states. To say there were 39 visits, i dont know where you got those facts. Media. But youre completely wrong. Did they report it inaccurately . They reported it inaccurately. If youre going to stand up in front of a national audience. We will decide and discern what deputies did, what investigators did. And we will i will handle it accordingly and people will be punished if they didnt do what theyre supposed to do. But that being said, the power of police is not that is not as great as it should be. We need to take people out of their homes and involuntary baker act them. If the totality of the circumstances rise and theyre not an immediate threat to themselves or someone else. But heres the most important point. If you and i were our sport was tennis and we tore our acls, the doctor would say, surgery was successful, youre released from the hospital. We cant go back and play tennis the next day. We need to rehabilitate. When we release an individual from a Mental Health facility, theyre not ready to go out and carry a gun. They have to rehabilitate. And thats a year process, a twoyear process. And they should never be around firearms. Thats where i agree with you. Its making sure people but its not one thing anymore. Its three or four things. Its building schools differently. Its having our mayors and our commissioners give more money to police, more money to schoolteachers. And funding to reinforce schools. Yes. I want to go now to linda biegel schulman. She lost her son, scott biegel. The declaration of independence was written in 1776, which gave my son the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So i ask you, why are my sons unalienable rights not protected as fiercely as the right to bear arms . Im sorry for what you experienced. And im not as i said, im a parent, but i have not been in this position. And as a parent, it terrifies me, to be honest with you. It should. Its terrifying. Now, you asked whether its a life or firearm or life or Second Amendment thing. I think that all life should be protected. All life should be protected. Thats why next week, theres going to be good guys with guns that are going to be in school protecting lives, just as theres Armed Security here. We are in the presence of firearms protecting lives. This isnt a you if you believe in your right to selfdefense, you hate kids. Or if you believe in your right to selfdefense, you dont believe that people have the right to live. Thats not what this issue is. This issue is about making sure that were protecting innocent lives. No innocent lives should be lost. None of them should. When the Second Amendment was ratified, they were talking about muskets. Were not talking about muskets. Were talking about Assault Rifles. Were talking about weapons of mass destruction that kill people. [ cheers and applause ] on that issue, at the time, there were fully automatic weapons that were available. In fact, the Continental Congress reviewed a purchase of one of those firearms it doesnt make it right. What im saying is, there were more than just muskets available. We dont say that no one has a right to free speech because of twitter or social media. But the point that you raise, and i think its a good one, and i know what youre saying. And believe me, i understand that. I think all innocent life should be protected. I dont think that you should have ever had to have gone through that. If i could change time and change circumstances, i would have done everything in my power to prevent that. I think you have the power. Sheriff, did you want to weigh in . Columbine, sandy hook, Stoneman Douglas and a host of other tragedies, doing it the same way isnt working. And i could tell you, youre not going to change, you know, with all due respect, and i think youre an amazing woman, youre not going to change her mind. Theres only one way to make america safely. What youre going to have to do, as i said, this young generation, we didnt get it done, but you will get it done. Vote in people who feel the same way you do. [ cheers and applause ] i want to make a couple one point. This is the eighth tragedy, the eighth tragedy where we have seen numerous tips that have been reported and red flags that i mean. Are we talking about prevention or not . I think its incredibly important. In charleston they had to say they had to come out and say that it was a paperwork error that this individuals was a prohibited possessor. In South Carolina you have to be convicted with a felony and he shouldnt have been able to purchase the firearm. The worst School Shooting with the murderer in virginia, this individual was Court Ordered to undergo Mental Health evaluations. And he slipped through the cracks. He would have never been able to purchase if this had been known. This is what im talking about. In terms of prevention and making sure that people who are dangerous should not have access to firearms without punishing lawabiding american who is want to be able to have that same right to defend themselves. I want to thank dana loesch of the nra and sheriff scott israel for being here to listen to your questions. When we come back with, a powerful moment with the students of Stoneman Douglas that you will not want to miss. Please stay with us. daniel jacob for every hour that youre idling in your car, youre sending about half a gallon of gasoline up in the air. That amounts to about 10 pounds of Carbon Dioxide every week. malo hutson growth is good, but when it starts impacting our quality of air and quality of life, thats a problem. So forwardthinking cities like sacramento are investing in streets that are smarter and greener. The solution was right under our feet. Asphalt. Or to be more precise, intelligent asphalt. By embedding sensors into the pavement, as well as installing cameras on traffic lights, we will be able to analyze the flow of traffic. Then that data runs across our network, and we use it to optimize the timing of lights, so that travel times are shorter. Who knew asphalt could help save the environment . I we worked with pg eof to save energy because wenie. Wanted to help the school. They would put these signs on the door to let the teacher know you didnt cut off the light. The teachers, they would call us the energy patrol. So they would be like, here they come, turn off your lights those three young ladies were teaching the whole school about energy efficiency. We actually saved 50,000. And thats just one school, two semesters, three girls. Together, were building a better california. Welcome back to cnn townhall with the students and families of faculty of Stoneman Douglas high school. Were closing out the evening with two special contributions from members of your community. The first is a poem written by the late Alex Schachter read by his father max. After the poe many students from douglas drama will perform a song called shine they wrote this week to honor their friends after the shooting. Max. Two weeks ago alex was assign add poem for a literary fair. He decided to write about roller coasters because alex loved roller coasters. He wasnt writing about his life and had no idea his process poem would become the future. Ryan, my son over in the head shirt wearing the Stoneman Douglas eagle regimen shirt read this poem at alexs funeral and i would like to read it to you because its amazing. I love it and i want everyone to hear the words. Life is like a roller costar, a free verse poem by Alex Schachter. Life is like a roller coaster. It has some ups and downs. Sometimes you can take it slow or very fast. It may be hard to breathe at times. But you have to push yourself and keep going. Your bar is your safety. Its like your family and friends. You hold on tight and you dont let go. But sometimes you might throw your hands up, because your friends and family will always be with you. Just like that bar keeping you safe at all times, it may be too much for you at times. The twists, the turns, the upside downs, but you get back up. You keep chugging along. Eventually it comes to a stop. You wont know when or how. But you will know that it will time to get off and start anew. Life is like a roller coaster. [ applause ] you threw my city away you tore down the walls and opened up all the gates you you ruined this town you burned all the bridges and you slowly let us drown but youre not going to knock us down well get back up again you may have hurt us but i promise we are not going to let you in were putting up a fight you may have broke the door but together we will shine the light and we will be Something Special were going to shine shine were were going to stand tall going to raise up our voices so we never ever fall were done with all your little games were tired of hearing that were too young to ever make a change because youre not going to knock us down well get back up again you may have hurt us but i promise well be stronger and were not going to let you in were putting up a fight you may have brought the dark but together we will shine a light we can hug a little tighter love a little more laugh a little harder stand up and roar if we all come together it will be all right stand up for one another and well never give up the fight we refuse to be ignored by those a will not listen. There are so many things you can do to become involved, reach out to congressman. Mail call and tweet. The smallest of words can make the biggest difference. Be the voice for those who dont have one. Together we have the power to change the world around us. Youre not going to knock us down well get back up again you may have hurt us but i promise well be stronger and were not going to let you in were putting up a fight you may have brought the dark but together we will shine the light youre not going to knock us down well get back up again you may have hurt us but i promise well be stronger and were that going to let you win were putting up a fight you may have brought the dark but together we will shine the light and we will be Something Special oh, we will shine [ cheers and applause ] what an incredibly powerful night. This this is a conversation that could change things in in country and were going to continue it right now right here on cnn tonight. Welcome to cnn tonight. Im don lemon. Thanks for joining us. You heard the students of Stoneman Douglas high school. Teenagers fearlessly speaking out one week after the deadly rampage in their school. Politician coming together to hear the demands for action and listening to those kids. It feels like maybe finally something will be done in time. Because those students and the parents of those who died told us all of us tonight, loud and clear, that they wont be ignored
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.