Sometimes Washington can feel far from home. On Valentine’s Day, it felt like an entirely different planet.
My daughter, a Broward County high school student, told me about the Stoneman Douglas shooting before my staff had the chance. She shared with me photographs and videos that no one of any age should ever have to see. Now they’ve become memories that students across Broward County will never forget.
We lost 17 souls that day. Students with giant aspirations, and teachers determined to get them there.
At funerals, vigils, and during all kinds of spontaneous acts of compassion, we have grieved for parents, siblings, spouses, friends, and loved ones. We have grieved with Parkland.
The loss is unimaginable. And yet, many in our community and across the country have felt this gut-wrenching heartbreak before.
In the United States of America, it is simply unacceptable that we tolerate students running for their lives with their backpacks on and allow parents to fear for the worst while they anxiously await a call or text back from their kids.
The sad truth is that my generation has failed to protect our children while they learn in school.
Identifying the problem isn’t good enough; we must do something about it. And over the past few weeks, I’ve been inspired by a group of individuals who feel the same way.
You’ve probably seen their faces on television or their posts on social media. The wisdom and courage of the high school students from Stoneman Douglas and across our community is breathtaking. They have cried, they have marched, and they have rallied.
When I recently met with a group of student government leaders from various Broward County high schools, I was struck by their intense commitment to this cause. They skipped out on basketball games and plans with friends to work together and make a difference.
First, they suggested ways to honor the friends and fellow students they had lost. Then they demanded solutions, and came up with a few on their own.
As a parent, these students make me feel proud. As a member of Congress, I want them to know I’ll support them with my voice and my vote.
At the federal level, we must get weapons of war off our streets. We also have an obligation to immediately close the massive loopholes in our background check system.
Those deemed by family members and law enforcement to pose a risk to themselves or the community should not be allowed to possess firearms. And we must finally allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence as a public health epidemic.
Here in Florida, it’s past time we reverse the stranglehold the corporate gun lobby exerts over state lawmakers. Florida law prohibits local elected officials from taking action to prevent gun violence by threatening them with fines and even removal from office. This policy is absurd, which is why I’m grateful that my hometown of Weston is standing up to the NRA to overturn it in court.
Unfortunately, those who argue that no single law can ever prevent all of these tragedies are absolutely right. That’s why it will take a sustained, collaborative effort to reduce gun violence.
For many years, an epidemic of youth drownings scourged our public pools. In response, Congress enacted legislation I proposed to make pools safer. Around the same time, online predators were targeting children at alarming levels, so Congress passed a bill I wrote to put barriers in the way of these vile criminals.
The gun debate should not be any different. Let’s close the gap between how South Florida is feeling and what Washington is doing. No generation should endure a lifetime of mass gun tragedies and violence.
It is our responsibility to keep our children safe. Florida’s courageous young people will lead the way — and I hope you will join me in standing beside them.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the U.S. Representative for Florida’s 23rd congressional district.
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