Call for gun reform on Parkland anniversary
Sorrow reverberated across the country Sunday, local time, as Americans, including President Joe Biden, joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre.
‘‘In seconds, the lives of dozens of families, and the life of an American community, were changed forever,’’ Biden said.
The president used the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons.
There was no time to wait, the president said. ‘‘We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now.’’
Governor Ron DeSantis ordered flags be lowered to half staff from sunrise to sunset across the state to honour those who perished when a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas opened fire on campus with an AR15 rifle on Valentines Day in 2018.
When the gunfire ended, 14 students and three staff members were dead, and 17 others were wounded. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is still awaiting trial.
In his proclamation for a day of remembrance, DeSantis asked fellow Floridians to pause for a moment of silence at 3pm Sunday. The Republican governor also noted some of the safety measures enacted since the tragedy three years ago, including money to install panic alert systems at schools across the state and to strengthen programmes meant to prevent violence before they occur.
The panic alert measure was dubbed ‘‘Alyssa’s Law,’’ in honour of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the students killed three years ago.
Parkland parents have been divided over how lawmakers should respond.
Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was 14 when she was killed in the shooting, addressed the president in a tweet.
‘‘Mr President, thank you for remembering the loved ones taken from us 3 years ago,’’ he wrote. ‘‘Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honouring her life does not require infringement on the rights of law-abiding citizens.’’
Petty said the president’s proposals won’t prevent more tragedies.
‘‘It’s wrong to focus on the weapon,’’ said Petty, who is now a member of the state school board. ‘‘For those who understand what happened that day, there were mistakes. This was the most preventable school shooting in the history of our country. The warning signs were there. It was clear the killer had intentions to attack the school.’’
Over the years, deadly violence targeting schools has shaken the nation — including the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007 that claimed 32 lives and the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012. Even before the Parkland tragedy, there was already plenty of anguish in Florida over gun violence. Less than two years before, another gunman shot up the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people.
None of the deadly events produced comprehensive gun laws. Mass shootings have galvanised gun control advocates, who have been met with resistance from Republican lawmakers and their 2nd Amendment allies. –