Democrats Ask Health Panel To Hold Hearing On Causes And Possible Solutions For Mass Shootings
The proposed hearing would include testimony from survivors of gun violence and those who have been affected by it, as well as experts on public health research. In other news, former Sen. Rick Santorum's comments on CPR are criticized; New Jersey moves forward with a package of gun control bills; and a look at what Missouri does to protect its students.
The Hill:
Senate Dems Request Health Panel Hearing On School Shootings
Senate Democrats want the chamber's health committee to hold a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings, including school shootings. Nine Democrats, as well as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), sent a letter last week to Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top members on the panel, requesting they schedule a hearing in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting, in which 17 people were killed. (Carney, 3/26)
The Hill:
Doctors Rip Santorum For Saying Students Should Learn CPR Instead Of Protesting Gun Violence
Doctors and health-care professionals are criticizing former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) after he suggested Sunday that student activists should learn CPR instead of protesting for gun control. The day after thousands of students across the country took to the streets to protest gun violence during the March for Our Lives, Santorum made remarks about CPR while appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union.” (Gstalter, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
New Jersey Lawmakers Advance Bills To Tighten Gun Laws
New Jersey's Democrat-led Assembly on Monday passed a half-dozen bills aimed at strengthening the state's already-strict gun laws, including a measure to permit the seizure of weapons upon a court order. The legislation comes just days after tens of thousands of students marched across the country to call for tightening gun laws and the same day as Second Amendment advocates in Trenton rallied against the legislation. (Catalini, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Jersey Assembly Approves Gun-Control Measures
One bill would require law-enforcement officials to seize weapons from someone considered a threat by a mental-health professional and another piece of legislation would establish a so-called “red-flag law” that would allow family members or others to ask a court to temporarily bar people deemed a risk from possessing or purchasing guns. “This isn’t about punitive. This is about being protective,” said New Jersey Assemblyman John McKeon, a Democrat, during the vote’s proceedings. (de Avila, 3/26)
St. Louis Public Radio:
A Missouri Law Allows Armed Teachers. Schools Are Using Something Else
Missouri lawmakers passed a law in 2014 that creates a framework for how school districts can arm their employees to protect against school shootings by becoming “school protection officers.” ... Instead the handful of rural Missouri schools that have armed some of their staff members have contracted with a private security firm to train their employees. (Delaney, 3/27)
