>> Martha: TEACHERS IN FLORIDA
COULD SOON BE ALLOWED TO CARRY
GUNS.
THE SENATE PASSED A SCHOOL
SAFETY BILL THIS WEEK THAT WOULD
ALLOW TEACHERS TO BE ARMED IF
INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL BOARD SIGN OFF
ON IT.
A CONTROVERSIAL MEASURE THAT IS
IN RESPONSE TO THE FEBRUARY 2018
SHOOTING AT MARJORY STONEMAN
DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL THAT LEFT 17
PEOPLE DEAD.
IN MOMENTS, ANDREW POLLARD JOINS
ME WHO LOST HIS DAUGHTER MEADOW
ON THAT DAY.
WE HAVE HIS REACTION.
BUT FIRST LET'S GO TO
TRACE GALLAGHER WHO HAS THE
LATEST ON THE STORY.
>> LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL HAPPEN.
LAWMAKERS IN THE FLORIDA HOUSE
ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND
GOVERNOR RON DeSANTIS SAID
HE'LL SIGN IT.
AS NOTED, THE LOCAL SCHOOL
BOARDS WILL STILL HAVE TO AGREE
BEFORE ANY TEACHERS WILL BE
ALLOWED TO VOLUNTARILY CARRY A
WEAPON.
THIS HAS REALLY BEEN A PARTISAN
BATTLE IN FLORIDA, YOU HAVE
STUDENTS TRAVEL TO TALLAHASSEE
TRYING TO CONVINCE LAWMAKERS NOT
TO PASS THE BILL FOR DEMOCRATS
IN THE STATEHOUSE ALSO TRIED
REPEATEDLY TO REMOVE LANGUAGE
FROM THE BILL ALLOWING TEACHERS
TO CARRY EVEN SOME NATIONAL
DEMOCRATS WEIGHED IN LIKE
CALIFORNIA SENATOR IN 2020
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS A
CANDIDATE KAMALA HARRIS WHO
TWEETED "TEACHERS DON'T NEED A
GUN, THEY NEED A RAISE."
" WE NEED
TO GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES THEY
NEED TO EDUCATE THE NEXT
GENERATION OF LEADERS."
LOWER BOOK SAYS IT'S A TOUGH
DECISION BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THAT
IF MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS
HIGH SCHOOL COACH CHRIS HIXSON
HAD A GUN, HE WOULD'VE STOPPED
NIKOLAS CRUZ FROM KILLING 17
PEOPLE.
SUPPORTERS OF THE BILL POINT OUT
THAT PARKLAND SHOOTING, IT
LASTED FOR FOCAL UNITS AND IN
THAT TIME THEY BELIEVE IN ARMED
TEACHER WOULD'VE
SAVED LIVES.
G.O.P. STATE SENATOR SAID
QUOTING, I MUST ERR ON THE SIDE
OF SAVING A KID.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WEIGHED IN.
WATCH.
>> GUN FREE ZONE TO A MANIAC
BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL COWARDS, A
GUN FREE ZONE IS, LET'S GO IN
AND LET'S ATTACK.
BECAUSE BULLETS AREN'T COMING
BACK AT US.
>> THE BILL ALSO INCLUDES
GREATER REPORTING OF SCHOOL
SAFETY INCIDENTS, A RISK
ASSESSMENT PROCESS FOR DANGER
STUDENTS, AND SOME SCHOOL NEW
GUIDELINES DEALING WITH MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES.
TEACHERS WHO CHOOSE TO CARRY A
GUN WOULD HAVE TO PASS A
PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION AND
COMPLETE AT LEAST 144 HOURS OF
TRAINING.
MARTHA?
>> TRACE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MY NEXT GUEST YOU KNOW HERE HAS
BEEN WITH US MANY TIMES.
ANDREW POLLACK JOINS ME.
ANDREW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE TONIGHT.
YOU ARE, I SHOULD MENTION,
FOUNDER FOR AMERICANS FOR
CHILDREN'S LIFE AND SCHOOL
SAFETY.
THAT IS TO YOU, ANDREW.
>> NICE TO BE HERE TONIGHT,
MARTHA.
>> Martha: TELL ME WHAT THE
COMMISSION FOUND IN THE STUDY
THAT THEY DID AND WHY THEY WERE
SUPPORTIVE OF THIS LAW IN
FLORIDA.
>> FIRSTLY WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE
TO HAVE A REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED
SENATE BECAUSE THEY WERE ABLE TO
LOOK AT THE MARJORY STONEMAN
DOUGLAS COMMISSIONS FINDINGS AND
PUT OUR KIDS SAFETY FIRST, NOT
PUT AN AGENDA.
THEY WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT --
MY FRIENDS WERE ON THAT
COMMISSION AND THEY WERE ABLE TO
WATCH THE VIDEOTAPE OF THE
KILLER GOING THROUGH THE
BUILDING WHERE THEY WATCHED HIM
RELOAD FIVE TIMES.
INSIDE THE BUILDING WHERE NO ONE
CAME TO THE RESCUE OF THOSE
CHILDREN, INCLUDING MY DAUGHTER.
SO IF ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IN
THAT BUILDING WERE ABLE TO BE
TRAINED OR ARMED, THEY WOULD'VE
BEEN ABLE TO STOP THAT SHOOTER
MULTIPLE TIMES.
THANK GOD WE HAVE REPUBLICANS
THAT PUT OUR KIDS 'SAFETY FIRST,
NOT THESE DEMOCRATS THAT ARE
TRYING TO PUSH AN AGENDA, GUN
CONTROL, AND NOT PUTTING OUR
KIDS FIRST.
>> Martha: ONE OF THOSE
DEMOCRATS IS KAMALA HARRIS, AND
YOU HEARD WHAT SHE SAID IN THE
TWEET WHICH SHE WROTE, SHE SAID
TEACHERS DON'T NEED GUNS, THEY
NEED A RAISE.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO HER, AND
HE?
>> I LIKE TO TELL KAMALA SHE
DIDN'T HAVE A DAUGHTER ON THE
FLOOR PRAYING FOR HER LIFE WHEN
THERE WERE MULTIPLE TEACHERS ON
THE FLOOR WHO COULD HAVE SAVED
HER, AND MY DAUGHTER WAS SHOT
NINE TIMES, OKAY?
HOW ABOUT THAT, KAMALA?
PUT THAT KID ON THE THIRD FLOOR
AND YOU TELL ME YOU WOULDN'T
WANT SOMEONE THERE TO SAVE HER
LIFE.
THAT'S WHAT I TELL HER.
>> Martha: HARD TO IMAGINE
THAT ANYBODY IN YOUR POSITION
WOULDN'T FEEL THE WAY THAT YOU
DO, ANDREW.
THERE WAS ANOTHER FATHER, FRED
GUTTENBERG WHOSE DAUGHTER WAS
KILLED BUT HERE'S WHAT HE HAS TO
SAY WHO WOULD INCREASE THE RISK
OF GUNFIRE AND CASUALTIES, THE
IDEA WITH A TEACHER WITH A
PRESUMABLY LOCKED WEAPON HAS THE
REACTION TO SOMEONE WITH AN
AR-15 IS COMICAL AND DISHONEST.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS, MARTHA?
THEY ARE REALLY NOT EDUCATED IN
WHAT HAPPENED.
I REALLY DON'T TALK ABOUT FRED
MUCH.
BUT THESE TEACHERS -- IT'S AN
EXTENSIVE TRAINING WHERE THEY GO
THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL'S, THEY DO
144 HOURS.
THEY ARE TRAINED TO HIRE
STANDARDS THAN REGULAR DEPUTIES
IN ACCURACY.
WHAT'S VERY IMPORTANT ALSO IS
WHEN THEY
THERE IS A SHOOTING GOING ON,
YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO KNOW
THERE'S SOMEONE IN THAT
SCHOOL THAT IS THERE TO DEFEND
YOUR KID.
WHAT THEY LEAVE OUT, MOSTLY,
MARTHA, IS IT'S VOLUNTARY.
WE DO NOT WANT TEACHERS -- WE DO
NOT WANT TEACHERS THAT DON'T
WANT TO DO IT.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> Martha: THAT'S THE
REACTION.
TEACHERS, THEY DON'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT GUNS, THEY DON'T
WANT TO USE A GUN.
IT'S A COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY
PROGRAM.
IF YOU WISH WHEN YOU WATCH THE
VIDEO THAT THE OUTDOOR GUARDS
HAD RUN IN WITH THEIR GUNS, I'M
NOT SURE HOW YOU CAN WISH THAT
THERE WASN'T SOMEBODY IN THE
BUILDING WHO WAS ABLE TO DO THAT
AS WELL.
I MEAN, IT'S STUNNING, YOU KNOW,
TO IMAGINE THAT YOU WOULDN'T
WANT THAT KIND OF PROTECTION.
>> MAY BE WE GET 1-2 TEACHERS
OUT OF 50 THAT WANT TO VOLUNTARY
GO THROUGH THAT CHORUS.
WHO ARE WE TO TELL THEM THAT
THEY SHOULDN'T BE THERE TO
DEFEND OUR KIDS LIKE SNAKE I
KNOW MY DAUGHTER WOULD'VE WANTED
ONE OF THOSE TEACHERS ARMED.
>> Martha: I'M SURE SHE WOULD
HAVE.