Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Tuesday met with five current and former students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, who traveled to Washington this week to speak to legislators and work to prevent another tragedy like the mass shooting they experienced at their school February 14.
Later, Sanders delivered a speech on the Senate floor regarding the need for commonsense gun safety legislation. In his remarks, Sanders called for Congress to move on the following measures:
- Universal background checks
- Closing the gun show loophole
- Cracking down on "straw men" purchasers, when people legally buy guns and then sell them to people who cannot get them legally
- Reinstating the assault weapons ban
- Providing more resources for those with mental health issues and making it harder for people with red flags to obtain weapons
- Making it easier for law enforcement to keep guns away from those accused of domestic violence or under a restraining order
"What was amazingly impressive about these young people was that in the midst of their grief, in the midst of this unbelievably traumatic experience that they went through—seeing their best friends shot in cold blood or wounded, their teachers killed—they resolved not just to mourn and grieve their friends and neighbors," Sanders said in his speech. "They resolved to stand up and fight back and come to Washington, go to Tallahassee, Florida, go around the country to do everything they can to make certain that no more children, no more young people mowed down and slaughtered in schools."
"The American people are demanding that we have the courage stand up to the NRA and finally take some action which will move us in the right direction," Sanders said.
Click image below to view Sanders' speech.
Source: WASHINGTON, Sanders 2.27.2018