Raw Emotion Overshadows Policy In Trump’s Listening Session With Families, Survivors Of School Shootings
President Donald Trump hosted a group of families and survivors affected by mass shootings to try to brainstorm a way forward. The president floated several ideas, but came back to background checks, mental health laws and arming teachers. Meanwhile, in Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) participated in a town-hall like event to talk about gun control and safety laws. He earned both cheers and jeers for his positions.
The New York Times:
Parents And Students Plead With Trump: ‘How Many Children Have To Get Shot?’
One by one at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, survivors of school shootings and family members of victims shared their stories and their calls to action. The extraordinary public exchange with the president gave voice to an intensely emotional debate over how to respond to the latest gun massacre in an American school. (Davis, 2/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump, At White House Forum, Signals Support For Arming School Staff
“I’m pissed,” said Andrew Pollack, whose 18-year-old daughter, Meadow, was killed at Stoneman Douglas. “I’m not going to see my daughter again. She’s not here. She’s at North Lauderdale in King David Cemetery. That’s where I go to see my kid now. ”Mr. Pollack said school safety needed to be the first priority, and then gun laws could be debated later. “How many schools, how many children have to get shot?” he said. (Nicholas and Bender, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
‘Fix It’: Students And Parents Tell Trump He Needs To Address Gun Violence At Schools
President Trump leaned forward and listened intently for nearly an hour Wednesday afternoon as students, parents and teachers begged him to do something, anything, to prevent a mass shooting from happening at another school. The group offered a wide variety of suggestions — bolster school security, drill students on what to do during a shooting and raise the age at which someone can buy an assault rifle — but in the end, the president remained focused on the solution he often proposes after a mass shooting: increasing the number of people with guns so they can quickly stop shooters with lethal force. (Johnson and Wagner, 2/21)
Reuters:
Trump Addresses Gun Violence, Vows To Be 'Very Strong On Background Checks'
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration would emphasize background checks and mental health in an effort to deal with gun violence in schools after last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school. (Mason, 2/21)
Politico:
Amid Student Anger, Trump Hosts Live White House Special On Gun Violence
Since the shooting, the president has been looking for a way to take action on guns in response to cries from gun-control advocates and emotional students, whose images have been plastered across television screens around the clock, without alienating his pro-gun base, which he courted with promises to support the Second Amendment. In response to remarks by the families at the listening session, he floated some new ideas, surprising some White House aides, including reopening some of the mental institutions shuttered in the 1970s to house worrisome teens who have not committed any crimes, and arming teachers or other school officials — controversial views that he would have difficulty garnering support for on Capitol Hill. (Johnson and Lima, 2/21)
The New York Times:
Marco Rubio And N.R.A. Jeered On Gun Stance
The spokeswoman for the N.R.A., Dana Loesch, offering the group’s first public comments after a shooting last week at a Florida high school, strongly defended the gun advocacy group’s positions in front of students and teachers from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “People who are crazy should not be able to get firearms,” she said, insisting that enforcement of mental health laws, not new gun restrictions, would prevent future massacres. Mr. Rubio, Republican of Florida, also drew the ire of the crowd for refusing to support a ban on assault weapons and for saying that he intended to continue accepting money from the N.R.A. and other groups that support his pro-gun agenda. (Shear, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
Rubio Takes A Risk In Emotional Gun Debate, Facing Critics And Warming To New Firearm Restrictions
Rubio, who throughout his career has been a scripted and risk-averse politician, had thrust himself into a volatile and deeply personal discussion. Then, he took another unexpected step. He endorsed raising the age requirement for buying a rifle. Later, he said he was “reconsidering” his opposition to placing new limits on high-capacity magazines. In doing so, Rubio stepped away from the pillars of the powerful gun rights movement that have long influenced the actions of most Republican members of Congress, including himself. (Sullivan and O'Keefe, 2/22)
The New York Times:
Florida Republicans Face Mounting Pressure To Act On Gun Control
Seven days after the killing of 17 students and school staff members in Florida, Republican state leaders are facing pressure unlike any they have experienced before to pass legislation addressing gun violence. On Wednesday, swarms of student protesters carrying signs and boxes of petitions stormed the Florida Capitol, pleading with lawmakers to pass tougher gun control in the wake of the deadly shooting at a Broward County school last week. (Turkewitz and Burns, 2/21)
Politico:
Florida's Moment On Guns
In America’s national debate over guns, Florida is having a moment. From the grieving students swarming Tallahassee Wednesday to the public grilling of Sen. Marco Rubio at a CNN forum Wednesday night, Florida — long a proving ground for national gun policy — is again at the center of the storm in the wake of last week’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in suburban Fort Lauderdale. (Caputo, 2/21)
The New York Times:
11 Of The Most Dramatic Moments In A Day Of Confrontation Over Guns
It was a day of tense exchanges, emotion-packed speeches and confrontation as lawmakers, students and parents sparred on Wednesday over what to do about shootings in American schools. From the nation’s capital to Florida’s State House, people affected by gun violence delivered pain-laced addresses to crowds of passionate supporters, and President Trump listened to a group he had summoned to discuss the problem. There was also some poignant symbolism. (Haag and Stevens, 2/21)
The Hill:
House Dems Call For Vote On Lifting Gun Violence Research Limits
A group of House Democrats is calling on Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to take up a bill to repeal restrictions on gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The push to lift the restriction has gained new attention in the wake of the school shooting last week in Florida. (Sullivan, 2/21)
Kaiser Health News:
After Shooting, ‘Honor How Kids Want To Deal With Their Feelings’
With so much coverage of last week’s grisly school shooting in Parkland, Fla., students, parents and others are struggling to cope. Christine Sylvest, a child psychologist in Rockville, Md., has a unique perspective. She grew up in Coral Springs, Fla., and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the shooting that left 17 people dead. She moved with her family to Ashburn, Va., before her senior year in 1995. “For me, this was my high school,” she said in an interview with Kaiser Health News on Wednesday. “I can image being in that hallway, and I can only imagine the horror.” (Galewitz, 2/22)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia's Law Allows Mentally Ill To Buy Guns After 5 Years
Each year, Georgia provides the FBI with the records of thousands of Georgians who have been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment. Their names are added to the National Instant Background Check System that gun sellers check before a sale. (Cook, 2/21)