A White House listening session President Trump hosted Wednesday with students and families affected by the Parkland school shooting, as well as families affected by past school shootings, was brimming with emotion, as parents spoke of their lost children, and students fought off tears remembering their lost siblings and friends.
“I’m very angry that this happened, because it keeps happening,” said Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack, who died in the shooting last week. “How many schools how many children have to get shot. It stops here with this administration and me. I’m not going to sleep until it gets fixed.”
“My daughter I’m not going to see again … King David cemetery, that’s where I go to see my kid now,” he continued.
Mr. Trump, looking at the dozens of students and adults around him, said the administration is going to push “very strong background checks,” and increase a focus on mental health. Mr. Trump, accompanied by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Vice President Mike Pence, asked for ideas. Pence said governors from all 50 states will come to the White House next week to discuss solutions.
“We want to hear your hearts today,” Pence told the students around him. “I encourage you to be candidate and be vulnerable, and share with us not only your personal experience, but what it is you would have us to do.”
One dad suggested that classrooms have a locked gun in a case so people who work on the campus can be trained and use the weapon if necessary. Another dad said someone who isn’t old enough to drink shouldn’t be old enough to buy a guy. A student suggested that all states should be required to conduct active shooter drills, and there are many counties that are required to conduct the drills but do not. Another student suggested there be more counseling available for those who are bullied, as such students, she said, could be more likely to commit violence.
Fighting back tears, Stoneman Douglas student Sam Zeif shared how he feared for his brother, and how he lost a dear friend last week.
“I lost a best friend,” said Stoneman Douglas Sam Zeif. “Was practically a brother. And I’m here to use my voice because I know he can’t. And I know he’s with me, cheering me on to be strong, but it’s hard. And to feel like this, it doesn’t even feel like a week. Time has stood still.”
“I can’t feel comfortable in my country knowing that people have, will have, are ever going to feel like this,” he said. “I want to feel safe at school.”
Zeif said Australia had a school shooting in 1999, but people came together, and crafted legislation, and there hasn’t been a school shooting since.
Julia Cordover, the student body president of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, said whatever the case, more must be done.
“It’s very scary,” Cordover said, her voice wavering. “And knowing that a lot of people did not have this opportunity to be here still is mind-blowing.”
Jonathan Blank, another student of that school, said the situation still does not feel real.
“Everything seems fake,” Blank said. “I don’t even know what’s going on. It’s just crazy.”
Stoneman Douglas junior Ariana Klein said people “need to listen to the other points of view.”
“We all need to realize that we all have different points of views, and this solution isn’g going to be a singular thing,” Klein said. “It’s going to be multi-faceted.”
The meeting comes as students from nearby schools in Washington, D.C., and Maryland descended on the White House to demand stricter gun control measures in the wake of the high school shooting that left 17 people dead last week. Teens at multiple Florida schools also staged a walk-out Wednesday as a show of support for the students who are meeting with state lawmakers.
Mr. Trump has announced his support for some limited gun measures since then. The president tweeted his support for stronger background checks on Tuesday night, and earlier that day, he announced he has directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to craft regulations banning devices — like bump stocks — that turn legal semi-automatic weapons into illegal automatic weapons. A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday found the highest support for stricter gun control measures since the group began its national poll.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said school safety will be a top priority for his administration.
“We cannot imagine the depth of their anguish, but we can pledge the strength of our resolve,” the president said of the victims and their families in an East Room event. “And we must to do more to protect our children. We have to do more to protect our children.”
The White House offered this list of attendees for the Wednesday session:
Participants
Darrell Scott, Founder of Rachel’s Challenge
Sandra Scott, Wife of Darrell Scott
Nicole Hockley, Sandy Hook Promise
Mark Barden, Sandy Hook Promise
Pastor Pasqual Urrabazo, Las Vegas, Nevada
Christine Hunschofsky, Mayor of Parkland
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Frederick Abt, Father
Michele Abt, Mother
Carson Abt, Parkland Student
Melissa Blank, Mother
Matthew Blank, Father
Jonathan Blank, Parkland Student
Julia Cordover, Parkland Student Body President
Alan Cordover, Father
Melanie Cordover, Mother
Cary Gruber, Father
Justin Gruber, Parkland Student
Andrew Klein, Father
Ariana Klein, Parkland Student
Traci Klein, Mother
Samuel Zeif, Parkland Student
Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School
Gregory Baldwin, Parent
Zanette Childs, Student
Ishmael Childs, Student
Curtis Kelly, Parent
Zion Kelly, Parent
Friendship Public Charter School
Alaya Barnett, Student
Eric Blood, Teacher
Garry Cameron, Teacher
Jailyn Forde, Student
Liua Harbour, Teacher
Jerell King, Student
Curtis Lawrence, Teacher
Vielka Scott-Marcus, Teacher
Gregory Spears, Teacher
Aaron Spruill, Student
Brandon Thompson, Teacher
Parkmont
Nijole Gedutis, Parent
Precious Jenkins, Student
Erin Lidz, Teacher
Shannon Morris, Teacher
