In the News

In the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, city leaders discussed gun control changes they believe are the answer to preventing future mass shootings. Miguel Levario, Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress Texas 19th district, said there needs to be a real conversation about gun control. "I think common gun safety laws that we recently advocated for – universal background checks, restricting access to guns from those who are on no-fly lists, who are mentally ill patients, who should not have access to guns – is a way to go toward a direction of a safer environment," he said. While he does not believe in repealing the Second Amendment because there are a great number of responsible gun owners that need to be respected, he says he wants to have a conversation about minimizing the chances of another mass shooting. Levario did call the incident in Florida a "gun issue." "We are dealing with a troubled child and let's not forget the fact that he purchased this gun legally, AR-15," he said. Congressman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said that in the Parkland shooting, "not enough was done by law enforcement to intervene and prevent this atrocity from happening," causing concerns for him as it is a "fundamental component in preventing this." Going forward, Arrington believes awareness by the public and law enforcement are key to thwarting future shootings. "I think the best thing for us to do is to a be aware, be able to notify officials, have officials with the capability to identify, track, intervene appropriately and have safe schools," Arrington said. In taking away guns from the public, a person "hellbent on murder" would still "find a gun on the black market or steal a weapon of their choice and commit those types of atrocities," said Arrington. Arrington said he fully supports supplying teaching staff with armed weapons, so long as they are trained. Levario disagreed, calling it a "slippery slope."