Shooting, and we should have fixed it. Im pissed because my daughter im not going to see again. Concealed carry for teachers. I dont believe teachers should be armed. I believe teachers should teach. We will not let the 17 beautiful souls do for nothing. We will not give up. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your new day. Chris is in new york this morning. Im Alisyn Camerota in parkland, florida for an Amazing National conversation. Last night was extraordinary here. The world watched this remarkable cnn townhall on guns and School Safety. It took place exactly one week after the massacre that killed 17 people, mostly students at the school that you see behind me. So students and parents and teachers showed up at this townhall to confront their lawmakers as well as the National Rifle association. Republican senator marco rubio showed up and he faced his critics who are demanding action. Rubio also broke with some of the nra doctrine on guns. He supports raising the minimum age to buy rifles. He also said he would consider a ban on highcapacity magazines. He says hes been changed by this conversation and the event that is behind me. But he was asked very pointedly by one of the students in the arena. Bravo to him for having the initiative, the leadership to show up. Others would on not. Governor scott wasnt there. People wouldnt come on this show to be tested about it. Good for rubio. The question is, what will actually be done . The president did something unusual yesterday. We knew he was going to meet with survivors and families of School Shootings, but it wasnt supposed to be public. The president invited cameras in. He wound up taking heat for floating an idea suggesting teachers should be armed as a solution to the crisis facing our nation. But he also said he supports background check for gun purchases. That seems to be the sweet spot, the best chance for immediate change. And looking to raise the age to buy assault weapons. Would that make a difference . We begin with Dianne Gallagher live this tallahassee, florida. Dianne . Reporter chris, those were points made in discussions that were had at a cnn townhall. Lawmakers were texting me. They were back on a bus going home to park land, watching the townhall on their phones. And they said in seeing that, this emotional tense 24 hours that have passed, they felt like perhaps their movement is starting to really make its mark. Why do we have to speak out to the capitol . Why do we have to march on washington just to save innocent lives. Republican senator marco rubio coming facetoface with survivors of the high school massacre, defending his opposition to an assault weapon ban despite being heckled. Your comments and that of the president have been pathetically weak. My daughter was shot in the back with an assault weapon. The weapon of choice. Yes, sir. It is too easy to get. It is a weapon of war. The fact that you cant stand with everybody in this building and say that, im sorry. Rubio breaking with the nra on a number of key issues, announcing he supports raising the age requirement to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. And that he is reconsidering his support for largecapacity magazines. I do believe that in this instance it didnt it wouldnt have prevented the attack but would make it less lethal. This would only be obviously for people that are very adept at handling a gun. It would be its called concealed carry. A teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They would two for special training. And they would be there and you would no longer have a gunfree zone. The notion that my kids are going to school with a teacher armed with a weapon is not something quite frankly im comfortable with. One student grilling rubio on the 3. 3 million he received from the nra over the career. Can you tell me right now you will not accept a single donation from the nra . No. The answer to the question is people buy into my agenda, and i do support the Second Amendment. Dana lash repeatedly stressed that enforcement of Mental Health laws, rather than new gun restrictions are the answer. 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. Im not just fighting for my kids. Im fighting for you. Im fighting for all of you. You just told this group of people that you are standing up for them. You are not standing up for them until you say i want less weapons. Cnns townhall followed an emotional listening session at the white house with students and families who have lost loved ones in School Shootings telling President Trump their stories. All the School Shootings, it doesnt make sense. Fix it. It should have been one School Shooting, and we should have fixed it. And im pissed because my daughter im not going to see again. I turned 18 the day after, woke up to the news that my best friend was gone. And i dont understand why i can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war. Consider your own children. You dont want to be me. No parent does. And you have the ability to make a difference and save lives today. Please dont waste this. Across the country, hundreds of students staging walkouts with the students of Marjory Stoneman douglas high school. Outside Florida State capitol, survivors demanding changes from state lawmakers. Calling for a ban on assaultstyle weapons like the one used to kill 17 of their classmates and teachers. We stand for the people who were slaughtered like animals at school. Help us so children dont fear for going to school. Help us so Mass Shootings arent inevitable. Help us so children, grandchildren after that dont have to march for their lives. Reporter now, the stone man douglas students did meet with Governor Scott yesterday afternoon. One of those, a senior, tells me she played a video inside the school. She asked the governor to close his eyes and listen to the screams and panic of the children and imagine those were his own children, his daughters. She said that the governor we have heard some of those tapes from the kids inside, some of those recordings. And they are its just really unthinkable how affecting and gruesome it actually is. Thank you for all of that reporting. As the country tries to figure out how to stop School Shootings, the u. S. Army is awarding its medal of heroism to three of the students behind me. They were cadets of the junior rotc program. Joining us now are their friends and fellow cadets in the jrotc program. Thank you both for being here. I want to talk about your friends in a minute. First, you were with the townhall last night. Tell me what your takeaway was. What was the moment for you . My takeaway was that we have a voice, and we need to show our voice. It doesnt matter what you think, what you believe in. What i think is wrong or right, whether i think it is wrong or right, you make the voice heard. You make sure you are is supporting the cause. It doesnt make. Make sure you have your voice heard. We heard students loud and clear last night. You all have found your voice. You are not on the same side of every single one of these issues, but you are all making your opinions heard. So what was it it for you . I agree that you have to make your voice heard. But i also took away that it has been so many School Shootings for people to finally make a movement this large. And i think thats really important that we make it heard. But i just dont understand why it had to be so many shootings. Why does it have to be why does it have to be our school, any school. So i just want to know why there have been so many times there has been a School Shooting and we havent seen a movement this large. We heard that echoed from parents who loved their loved ones, their children. They said why are we having this conversation today . Why didnt we have it a year ago, ten years ago. It feels woefully late. Tell us all about your friends on junior rotc and who you lost. I personally lost two cadets in my company. We have six companies. Bravo is my company. And you work closely with alaina petty and peter wang. Yes. They were your close friends. Yes. I basically first day of school i had 30 kids and now ive lost two of my kids that i motivate and teach and have seen grow up into these cadets and that have goals to become cadets like me and maddie along with all our friends that have been speaking out. Were trying to change for them. What does that mean for you, madison, that you have lost alaina, your friend and fellow cadet. Personally, i only knew alaina. She was on my color guard team, which im commander of. Angelyse is now on our color guard. Unfortunately we had to put somebody new into my team, the state flag position. So every time we marched, alaina was always right to my left. As we were marching on the field, i would look of and shes here. Now im going to practice and shes not going to be there any more. So its horrible that shes gone now. How are you going to go back to school tuesday when it reopens . You have to be strong. I have 50 other companies. I have the largest company. So i have to be there for all of them. They are probably going through the same thing. And im their leader. Are you prepared to go back . Im taking it day by day. We have to be strong for each other and help each other get through this. Both of us are leaders. So we have to make sure we can help our cadets get through it. We call them our cadets because we treat them like theyre our kids because they look up to us. We have to mentor them to be amazing people. You all handle weapons, ceremoniously, of the nonlethal wh variety. What do you think that the president seemed open to, arming teachers, letting teachers have guns. My mother is a teacher. And i dont think she could ever hold a gun. I dont think any teacher has a right to even decide like, okay, i want a gun. Thats theyre teachers. Theyre here to teach us. They are not here to defend us in mass ways. Would that make you feel safer . I can see why people would want teachers to be armed in case such a horrible tragedy were to happen again. But at the same time, we dont need to be arming teachers. Were supposed to go to school to learn, no the to worry about if there is going to be another School Shooting and how to take that down. I dont even know. It is such a controversial topic. But i dont think personally that they should arm teachers because were at school to learn. Sure. I understand. Teachers that we have talked to here last night they basically echoed the exact same thoughts. Thank you very much for all that you do for your school and for being with us. Thank you. Chris . Alisyn is, thank you very much. Thousands of people at the cnn townhall. But that was still a relatively discreet group of super concerned people who want a specific kind of change. Now the bigger reality. What will President Trump, congress, and state lawmakers actually do, especially once the passion fades . Joining us now is cnn political director david challian. Some people are saying stop calling rubio brave. Showing up last night and facing the questions is not easy. We know that because a lot of lawmakers wont do that. Governor scott wasnt there. Ryan and mcconnell, as we off say on the show . You hear that . Thats them saying nothing about what theyll do on this. Fair point him showing up mattered . I think so. He knew he was going into an environment hostile to his views on these issues. He fully understood that. He also obviously came prepared with new thinking, raising the age requirement for getting an assault style weapon. Saying he would consider the highcapacity magazine issue. Its not as if he rescinded his nra membership. He certainly said he didnt do anything about ruling out taking future money for them or having them spend on his behalf. But going into is that arena and showing up like that, i think it is two things. One, its a leadership moment. These are his constituents. He is the senator that represents them. And clearly he felt some responsibility to be there and take these questions. But, two, hes also, i think, trying to show that there could be some movement in his party on this issue that there is a way for republicans maybe to respond to this other than just a hard line no. Now, he actually said that last night. He used a procedural mechanism. He said monday we could try anonymous consent. Listen to this for a second. On monday, when we return to washington, d. C. , we will try to do this thing called unanimous consent. Unless any senator objects, it passes a law to fix the background check. I believe there are 60 votes to ban bump stocks. I believe we could potentially have 60 votes at the federal level to change from 18 to 21 on the purchase of any rifles. All right. So unanimous consent. Is that something thats possible but not probable . He thinks they have enough votes in the senate. What are the realities . It is possible. But you just mentioned before the deafening silence were hearing from Mitch Mcconnell and paul ryan. I do think, chris, if you want to understand where is this debate going, have the politics on guns really changed in washington . Watch paul ryan and mitch anything connell. Watch to see if they because so far they have not indicated this is a new priority item. They are clearing the decks of other stuff to take care of this. It is an election year. That cuts both ways, obviously. You want to make sure your base is energized but you also understand at least on the house side a lot of the competitive districts, chris, theyre in suburban communities. A lot of College Educated voters. The very kind of voters who are responding to this moment on this issue. And yet you dont want to completely abandon your base that single issue voters. Even if the quinnipiac poll is close, it would seem to suggest that the best waugh forward, if you want to see something change, is background checks. Yes, the assault weapon ban is 66 6629. Other polls it is higher. It is closer to 50 50. The background checks, the president seized on that for a reason. We are hearing that discussed. Is that the best chance for progress . I think and you just heard what he was saying about unanimous concept. This first notion of this cornynmurphy bill ensuring what is already on the books actually gets implemented properly, making sure that happens, yes, that to me seems like a possible move forward. Whether were going to get background checks in the way that maybe the manchintoomey bill a few years ago. Will he clear the decks and say, this is a priority. He has an existing bill in the senate right now that has some support that shores up the background system. Well see where that goes. All right. Another issue that may be on the table. A big part of this equation, yes, guns. Yes, with School Shootings. Mental illness, unchecked Mental Illness and how you screen and restrict access. And how you fortify schools. Heres what the president recommended. And this would only be obviously for people that are very adept at handling a gun. And it would be called concealed carry where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They would go for special training. And they would be there and you would no longer have a gunfree zone. Now, more guns in schools is the basic category. We know the Teachers Union is against this. Anecdotally people say teachers teach. Theyre not commandos. The president said there would be specific training, but thats extra money. Teachers are buying books for their students. Do you think that is likely to happen . I dont. I think you heard marco rubio sort of dismiss that in the townhall. What about more armed guards, metal detectors . I think so. School safety conversation. I dont think the left is going for armed teachers. Clearly, as you said how about local law enforcement, retired veterans, people who are trained . I think you will see democrats that want to engage on the School Safety side of the conversation. I have no doubt about that. David chalian, appreciate the insight. Who knows better than you. Alisyn. Chris, of the massacre in the school that you see behind me and this National Conversation that were now having, what will lawmakers do when they return to capitol hill . Congressman today deutsche represents this city. He will answer that next. At tmobile. Was a success for lastchoicehotels. Comign badda book. Badda boom. This year, were taking it up a notch. So in this commercial we see two travelers at a comfort inn with a glow around them, so people watching will be like, wow, maybe ill glow too if i book direct at choicehotels. Com. Who glows . Just say, badda book. Badda boom. Nobody glows. He gets it. Always the lowest price, guaranteed. Book now at choicehotels. Com cnns townhall brought together students, parents, teachers, lawen, forcement, lawmakers and nra to try to find solutions and hash all of this out. As you can imagine, there were some contentious moments. And i just ask, are you in favor of banning any gun that can do what the ar15 can do . Yes or no . I am in favor doctor senator rubio, if you have a concern about something let me just answer this question because its important. It is. Thats the whole debate. The answer to the question is do i support banning weapons that fire off 150 bullets, that serve no purpose other than killing the maximum number of people they can, you bet i am. Okay. And there you go. Lets bring in democratic congressman ted deutsch. Thank you for last night. Thanks for coming to florida and thank you for giving these students and grieving families. What did you take away from it . At first it was so important for this community that is still grieving to know that the discussion is not going to end right now. We have seen these students that have so bravely come forward to lead the effort to change the laws, make sure Something Like this never happens again. But to give them the opportunity to come together. The entire students, the faculty, the administrators, and have a conversation and say whats on their mind and what theyre feeling, that was is so moving. Obviously we all believe in conversation and its healing power and moving the conversation forward. When you go back to washington, d. C. Inside the beltway, what happens . Are there