TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Sadness echoed across the country on Sunday as Americans, including President Joe Biden, joined a Florida community to commemorate the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting.
“Within seconds, the lives of dozens of families and the lives of an American community were forever changed,” Biden said in a statement released Sunday.
The president took the opportunity to call on Congress to tighten gun laws, including requiring background checks on all arms sales and banning assault weapons.
There was no time to wait, the president said. “We owe it to all who have lost and to all who remain behind to grieve to change something. Now is the time to act. “
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags to be lowered statewide to half-staff from sunrise to sunset to honor those who died when a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas opened fire on campus with an AR-15 rifle on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
When the gunfire ended, 14 students and three staff were dead and 17 others were injured. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is still awaiting trial.
In his proclamation of a day of commemoration, DeSantis asked fellow Floridians to stop for a moment on Sunday at 3 p.m.
“The Parkland community is resilient in the aftermath of tragedy and reminds us how strong and united Floridians can be in the face of such a devastating loss,” the governor said in his proclamation.
The Republican governor also took note of some of the school safety measures put in place since the tragedy three years ago, including money to install panic alarm systems in schools across the state and to bolster programs designed to prevent violence before they happen.
The panic warning measure was called “Alyssa’s Law” in honor of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the students murdered three years ago.
Parkland parents are divided on how lawmakers should respond.
Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was 14 when she was killed in the shooting, addressed the president in a tweet on Sunday.
“Mr. President, thank you for the memory of the loved ones taken from us three years ago,” he wrote. “Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honoring her life does not infringe the rights of law-abiding citizens. “
In an interview Sunday, Petty said the president’s proposals will not 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 our country’s history. The warning signs were there. It was clear the killer intended to attack the school. ‘
Petty remembered his daughter as a friend to everyone and shared the importance of her community service.
“For those of us who lost loved ones that day, it’s just like any other day. We miss them. There’s nothing we can do to get them back. All we can do is move forward and try their memories and make sure this doesn’t happen to other families, ”he said.
But critics of the governor and the Republican-controlled legislature say guns are too easily accessible and say more needs to be done to keep assault-style guns away from potentially bad actors.
“The passage of time has done little to cure the heartbreak we felt when we heard the shocking news three years ago today, nor our outrage at the lack of ensuing legislative action from lawmakers since that horrible morning – laws affecting another. Parkland would prevent it from ever happening again, ”said Manny Diaz, the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.
Over the years, deadly violence against schools has shaken the nation – including the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings that claimed 32 lives and the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Even before the Parkland tragedy, Florida had suffered much about weapons. violence. Less than two years earlier, another gunman shot down Pulse nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people.
None of the deadly events produced extensive gun laws. Mass shootings have galvanized gun control advocates who have met resistance from Republican lawmakers and their 2nd Amendment allies. It remains to be seen what will be done at the federal level, despite democratic control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
This government will not wait for the next mass shooting to heed that call. We will take action to end our epidemic of gun violence and make our schools and communities safer, ” the president said in his statement on Sunday.
In addition to background checks and a ban on assault weapons, Biden is calling on Congress to ban high-capacity magazines and hold gun manufacturers accountable for the role their products play in violence.
“For three years now, the Parkland families have been spending birthdays and holidays without their loved ones,” said Biden.
“Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn everyone who has lost loved ones through gun violence,” he said.
“In these three years, the Parkland families have taught us all something profound,” the president continued. “Time and again, they have shown us how to turn our grief into purpose: to march, organize and build a strong, inclusive and sustainable movement for change.”
Follow Bobby Caina Calvan on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BobbyCalvan.