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Groton Daily Independent
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 223 ~ 23 of 52
Parkland, Florida, was among those questioning the lawmakers.
“I’m supposed to go back to school in the upcoming week,” said Schachter. “Me and my friends worry
we are going to be murdered in our classrooms.”
Student Cameron Kasky did not mince words telling Rubio, “It’s hard to look at you and not look down
the barrel of an AR-15 and not look at Nikolas Cruz” before asking squarely, “Can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?” The room erupted in cheers as Rubio replied that people buy into his agenda and that he supports laws to keep guns out of the hands of deranged people.
Rubio said he does not support arming teachers and Nelson agreed saying Trump’s suggestion on arm- ing them was “a terrible idea.”
Shortly before the town hall event opened, the sheriff of the Florida county torn apart by the rampage spoke to the cheering audience, drawing them to their feet as he exhorted them to press on for stricter gun controls.
Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County declared the U.S. has had enough of deadly shootings and that he was personally saddened to have to go through the crime scene of a “horri c killer” 30 minutes after the attack last week. He said the young people should hold lawmakers accountable for making their schools and other community places safer or they won’t be re-elected.
“Never again!” he declared of the Parkland attack, exhorting the young people to press on: “America’s watching you ... there will be change.”
Again the question: Could armed teachers stop shootings? By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press
In the aftermath of yet another mass school shooting, President Donald Trump says that if one of the victims, a football coach, had been armed “he would have shot and that would have been the end of it.”
Revisiting an idea he raised in his campaign, Trump’s comments in favor of allowing teachers to be armed come as lawmakers in sev- eral states are wrestling with the idea, including in Florida, where the 17 most recent school shoot- ing victims are being mourned.
Assistant football coach Aaron Feis, hailed for shielding students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HighSchoolinParkland,Florida, “was very brave,” Trump said Wednesdayduringalisteningses- sion with parents and survivors of school shootings. “If he had a rearm,hewouldn’thavehadto run.”
Florida Republican Sen. Greg Steube said gun-free zones like schoolsareeasytargetsandhas
This August 2016 photo shows a sign outside a school in Claude,Texas,whichClaudeISDpostsoutsidetheirschools. In the aftermath of yet another mass school shooting, Presi- dentDonaldTrumpsaysthatifoneofthevictims,afootball coach, had been armed “he would have shot and that would have been the end of it.” Revisiting an idea he raised in his campaign,Trump’scommentsinfavorofallowingteachersto be armed come as lawmakers in several states are wrestling with the idea, including in Florida, where the 17 most recent school shooting victims are being mourned.(Creede Newton/Amarillo Globe-NewsviaAP)