>>> IT HAS BEEN 42 DAYS SINCE PRESIDENT TRUMP ON HIS WAY TO
VISIT VICTIMS OF THE EL PASO AND
DAYTON MASS SHOOTINGS ANNOUNCED
ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN THAT,
"I’M LOOKING TO DO BACKGROUND
CHECKS."
CHECKS." 42 DAYS OF NO ACTION
LAST NIGHT, 21 DEMOCRATIC
SENATORS TOOK TO THE SENATE
FLOOR TO CALL ON CONGRESS TO
EXPAND BACKGROUND CHECKS ON
FIREARM PURCHASES.
FIREARM PURCHASES. BUT IT ALL BE FOR NOTHING.
AFTER FOUR DEMOCRATS TOOK TO THE
FLOOR, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER
MITCH McCONNELL SAID THE SENATE
IS IN A HOLDING PATTERN ON GUN
LEGISLATION, WAITING TO HEAR
WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS WILLING TO
SIGN
SIGN BUT AS THEY WAIT, STUDENTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE RETURNED
TO SCHOOL WITH A NEW NORMAL,
PREPARING FOR POTENTIAL ATTACKS.
IN 2018 ALONE, 30 PEOPLE WERE
KILLED AND 50 INJURED IN EIGHT
SCHOOL SHOOTINGS, AVERAGING ONE
EVERY 45 DAYS.
THIS MORNING, MEMBERS FROM THE
GUN SAFETY ADVOCACY GROUP SANDY
HOOK PROMISE HAVE RELEASED A NEW
BACK-TO-SCHOOL, SCHOOL SHOOTINGS
PREVENTION PSA
PREVENTION PSA WE WARN YOU, THIS VIDEO IS VERY
HARD TO WATCH.
>> THIS YEAR, MY MOM GOT ME THE
PERFECT BAG FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL
>> THESE COLORFUL BINDERS HELP
ME STAY ORGANIZED.
>> THESE HEADPHONES ARE JUST
WHAT I NEED FOR STUDYING
>> THESE NEW SNEAKERS ARE JUST
WHAT I NEEDED FOR THE NEW YEAR
[ GUNFIRE
[ GUNFIRE >> THIS JACKET IS A REAL
MUST-HAVE.
MUST-HAVE. >> MY PARENTS GOT ME THE
SKATEBOARD I WANTED.
IT’S PRETTY COOL. PRETTY COOL.
>> THESE SCISSORS REALLY COME IN
HANDY IN ART CLASS.
>> COLORED PENCILS, TOO.
>> THESE NEW SOCKS, THEY CAN BE
A REAL LIFE SAVER.
>> I TEXTED MY MOM
>> JOINING ME NOW, CO-FOUNDER OF
THE SANDY HOOK PROMISE, NICOLE’S
6-YEAR-OLD SON DILLON WAS KILLED
IN THE SANDY HOOK SHOOTING BACK
IN 2012.
IN 2012. NICOLE, MY FRIEND, THANK YOU
WHEN I SAW THAT AD OR THE PSA,
THE FIRST THING I THOUGHT AT THE
END THAT YOUNG WOMAN WAS TEXTING
I LOVE YOU, MOM, I THOUGHT YOUR
SON WAS 6.
HE DIDN’T EVEN GET TO DO THAT.
SO WHERE DID THIS PSA COME FROM?
WHY DO THIS?
>> BECAUSE I DON’T THINK ENOUGH
PARENTS UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR
KIDS ARE EXPERIENCING EVERY DAY
IN SCHOOL NOW.
JAKE IS IN 10th GRADE NOW.
>> YOUR OTHER SON?
>> MY SON THAT SURVIVED.
AND LAST WEEK EVERY SINGLE DAY
THEY PRACTICED A DIFFERENT FORM
OF AN ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILL OR AN
EVACUATION
EVACUATION THIS IS HOW WE’RE TRAUMATIZING
OUR KIDS NOW
WE’RE TEACHING THEM WHAT TO DO
WHEN VIOLENCE OCCURS, RATHER
THAN TEACH THEM HOW TO PREVENT
IT FROM HAPPENING.
AND THAT’S THE POINT OF THIS
PSA, TO KIND OF SHOCK PARENTS
AND SAY THIS IS NOT WHAT SCHOOL
SHOULD BE ABOUT.
WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION TO
PREVENT THESE.
PREVENT THESE. >> SHOCK THEM INTO WHAT?
WHAT KIND OF ACTION ARE YOU
LOOKING FOR?
LOOKING FOR? BECAUSE 21 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
LAST NIGHT GOT UP AND SPOKE
ABOUT THIS, AND BEFORE THEY EVEN
MADE IT INTO THE ROOM MITCH
MCCONNELL SAID WE’RE IN A
HOLDING PATTERN.
HOLDING PATTERN. >> THAT’S UNACCEPTABLE AND I
THINK MORE PARENTS NEED TO SPEAK
UP ABOUT HOW UNACCEPTABLE THAT
IS
IS THERE’S LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS
RIGHT NOW WAITING FOR A VOTE
MORE PRESSURE ON CONGRESS IS
NEEDED TO GET TO THAT VOTE
MORE PRESSURE ON MITCH MCCONNELL
AS WELL.
AS WELL. THESE AREN’T CONTROVERSIAL
POLICIES THAT ARE BEING DEBATED,
UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS,
PROTECTION ORDERS, THIS IS NOT
ABOUT TAKING ANYTHING AWAY FROM
ANYONE
ANYONE IT’S ABOUT KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE
AND WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO DO IS
BE OUTRAGED BY THIS NEW NORMAL
OF SCHOOLS, SHOOTINGS AND SCHOOL
VIOLENCE AND TA TALK TO THEIR
KIDS ABOUT THE SIGNS BECAUSE
KIDS CAN HELP PREVENT IT TODAY
WHILE WE CONTINUE TO PUT
PRESSURE ON CONGRESS FOR
LEGISLATION.
LEGISLATION. >> WHO ARE THE PEOPLE AND WHAT
IS THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THIS
>> THERE IS NO ARGUMENT AGAINST
THIS
THIS NO ONE IS FOR GUN VIOLENCE, NO
ONE IS FOR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.
EVERYONE WANTS THEIR KIDS TO BE
SAFE
SAFE THESE ARE NON-CONTROVERSIAL
NON-COST PROGRAMS.
NON-COST PROGRAMS. THEY’VE ALREADY PREVENTED SCHOOL
SHOOTINGS AND SUICIDES
THESE ARE ACTIONS WE CAN TAKE
TODAY, BUT THE POLICIES ARE NOT
CONTROVERSIAL EITHER WHEN YOU
REALLY LOOK AT THEM AND
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BILLS ARE
DOING.
DOING. THIS IS ABOUT RESPONSIBLE
ACCESS, THIS IS ABOUT SAFETY
THIS ISN’T ABOUT TAKING ANYTHING
AWAY FROM ANYONE
THIS IS ABOUT WHEN SOMEONE IS IN
CRISIS, WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP
THEM FROM HURTING THEMSELVES.
>> WHEN SANDY HOOK PROMISE WAS
FOUNDED NOT LONG AFTER YOU LOST
DILLON, DID YOU THINK WE WOULD
BE HERE TODAY WITH ALL OF THESE
SHOOTINGS CONTINUING, THAT IN
2019 YOU WOULD BE PUTTING OUT A
PSA WITH A TEENAGE GIRL AND A
BLOODY LEG BEING TIED OFF BY A
GYM SOCK
GYM SOCK >> I HAD HOPED THAT WE WOULD
NEVER GET TO THIS STAGE.
I HAD HOPED THAT WE WOULD BE IN
A POSITION OF SOLVING THIS SO
MUCH SOONER, BUT THAT’S NOT THE
CASE
CASE AND INSTEAD WE’RE SEEING THE
VIOLENCE INCREASING.
VIOLENCE INCREASING. LAST YEAR WAS THE WORST YEAR ON
RECORD FOR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.
HOW MUCH FURTHER CAN WE GO
HOW MUCH FURTHER ARE ’AS PARENTS
WILLING TO ACCEPT THE DANGER
THAT WE’RE PUTTING OUR KIDS IN
>> WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU ABOUT
GUN CULTURE, BECAUSE THERE ARE
MILLIONS OF PARENTS SENDING
THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL AND WANT
THEM TO BE SAFE.
WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT
THE POWER OF GUN CULTURE
>> IT ITEMS ME THAT PEOPLE ARE
AFRAID
AFRAID AS SOON AS YOU MENTION THE WORD
GUN IT BECOMES A FIGHT AND NO
ONE IS LISTENING TO EACH OTHER
AND THERE’S A DIFFERENT
CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO BE
HAD.
HAD. KEEPING KIDS SAFE IS NOT ABOUT
GUNS, IT’S ABOUT PREVENTION AND
PROTECTION
PROTECTION IF WE JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT
THE GUN ALL THE TIME, THEN I
THINK WE’LL BE MORE OPEN TO
LISTENING TO EACH OTHER AND
SHARING GOOD SOLUTIONS AND
IDEAS.
IDEAS. >> WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE TO
THIS PSA FROM LAWMAKERS, FROM
INDIVIDUALS?
INDIVIDUALS? >> SO FAR VERY POSITIVE.
WE ONLY LAUNCHED THIS MORNING
AND THERE’S ALREADY THOUSANDS OF
VIEWS.
VIEWS. EVERY YEAR WE LAUNCH ANOTHER PSA
THAT TEACHES PEOPLE THAT SCHOOL
VIOLENCE IS PREVENTABLE AND WE
ASK PEOPLE TO GO TO THE WEBSITE
AND DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURES,
BRING THE PROGRAMS TO YOUR
SCHOOLS.
SCHOOLS. IT’S REALLY ABOUT CHANGING
CONVERSATIONS THAT PEOPLE KNOW
THAT THERE’S MORE TO THIS THAN
JUST POLICY ACTION, THAT THERE
ARE COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS AS
WELL THAT CAN COMPLIMENT THE
POLICY ACTIONS WE’RE SEEKING