Governors join calls for changes to gun laws

A growing bipartisan number of state governors have joined calls for a reconsideration of gun laws and school safety measures after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., a sign that resulting legislative changes could extend far beyond Florida in the coming months.

The impact of the shootings rippled through the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington this weekend, as state leaders expressed willingness to consider new limits on gun ownership and stepped up efforts to address mental-health factors. But most said they were opposed to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to allow more teachers to be armed.

The comments came as students and grieving families push lawmakers to address the murder of 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“I just want to get the word out to the governors of every state that they have to do something today,” said Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow Pollack, was killed at the school, in an interview on Fox News Sunday. “My daughter’s death can’t be in vain.”

Individual governors said they would be open to raising the age limit for the purchase of long guns to 21, a measure opposed by the National Rifle Association, or said they believed there should be better ways for family members or others to take concerns about unstable individuals to a judge and have weapons confiscated.

Both measures were endorsed by Florida’s Republican governor, Rick Scott, a longtime supporter of the NRA, who opposed new gun laws after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub and the 2017 mass shooting at the Fort LauderdaleHollywood International Airport.