Val Demings: “1 month ago today, a man brutally murdered 17 children and educators in Parkland, Florida. He killed these innocent…”

“1 month ago today, a man brutally murdered 17 children and educators in Parkland, Florida. He killed these innocent people using a semiautomatic, assault-style weapon. These weapons, designed for the battlefield, are easily available across this country. It has been 19 years since the Columbine school shooting. That massacre shocked America. Our country debated that shooting and the causes for months, for years. But in what has become an all-too- familiar pattern, Congress did nothing to address the factor that makes these massacres so deadly, the easy access to guns. You see, after Columbine, the gun lobby knew that they were in trouble, so they put a whole lot of time and a whole lot of money into confusing the issue. They said: ``It's not guns. It's bullying. It's not guns. It's the lack of school security. It's not guns. It's our violent culture, music, and video games.'' Well, other countries have all of these things, but other countries do not have mass shootings like ours because other countries have responsible gun safety laws. Today, 1 month after the Parkland shooting, we are, once again, discussing guns. Today, as after Columbine, the gun lobby knows that they are in trouble because this time these children who survived the Parkland shooting are not trying to return to the way life was before the shooting. They are taking a stand. And, yes, we do stand with them. See, these children believe that they can change the world. They should, and they are.…”