Since the Parkland, Fla., school shooting last month, student activists have received much attention for their passionate calls for changes to the nation鈥檚 gun laws. That鈥檚 in part because thousands of their peers have heard that call, planting the seeds of what could be a new national youth movement.
But another group from Parkland鈥攖he families of the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School鈥攈as also pushed for change. And that group has already seen success in pushing for school safety compromises at the state and federal level.
Lawmakers credit support from the victims鈥� families for passage of the STOP School Violence Act, a safety bill as part of federal spending legislation Friday, and for the enactment of a Florida safety bill that included school safety measures and some changes to the state鈥檚 gun laws鈥攁lbeit more modest changes than some of the student protestors are pushing for.
GOP Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted about the families Thursday night, praising them for support of the federal bill, which was also championed by families of the 2012 Newtown, Conn., school shooting before the one in Florida took place.
Story media missing is that in 5 weeks since tragedy,the families of 17 victims found common ground,treated everyone with civility,got legislation passed in & are on verge of passing & in D.C. Powerful lesson for all of us!
-- Marco Rubio (@marcorubio)
鈥淎t the federal level, the STOP School Violence Act is the first step in a long journey to improve the safety of our students and teachers at school,鈥� the families wrote in a letter to congressional leadership about the bill. The legislation funds school security and measures like threat assessment, which helps schools identify and intervene with students at risk of violence, anonymous reporting systems, and violence prevention training for teachers and students.
The families also pushed for the passage of the Fix NICS Act, which encourages more complete information in the federal background check system used for gun purchases. That bill was also signed into law as part of the spending package.
鈥榃e Don鈥檛 All Have to Agree鈥�
The most outspoken relatives of the Stoneman Douglas victims have various positions on gun laws.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime, 14, was killed in the shooting, has called the measures passed since that day a good starting point. But he鈥檚 also
Ryan Petty, who lost his daughter Alaina, 14, has expressed concerns that the student activists鈥� calls for gun-law changes, many of which have failed in Congress previously, might distract from school safety measures that are more broadly supported and could be more quickly achieved.
鈥淧olicy and political action ought to take their cues from this American majority,鈥� Petty told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee March 14. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to all agree on guns鈥攁nd we won鈥檛. But we can agree on the most fundamental things.鈥�
He said he didn鈥檛 want to speak of 鈥渢he media-fed, activist-inflamed, and politically aggravated din of the past month,鈥� focusing instead on solutions 鈥渢hat are inclusive rather than divisive.鈥�
Meanwhile at the state level, Florida legislation known as the represented a compromise for many of the victims鈥� families, and for most of the lawmakers who eventually voted in support of it. Many of the bill鈥檚 provisions were supported by some groups and raised concerns for others:
- The National Rifle Association has already sued over a part of the bill that raised the minimum age for all gun purchases in the state to 21. The bill鈥檚 gun provisions also include a so-called 鈥渞ed flag law鈥� that allows courts to seize guns and restrict firearms purchases for people who are deemed a threat to themselves or others, a ban on bump stocks, and a three-day waiting period for gun purchases. Collectively, those are the biggest changes in the state鈥檚 gun laws in years.
- Teachers groups opposed the bill鈥檚 creation of the 鈥淎aron Feis Guardian Program,鈥� a voluntary program through which school employees could be trained and armed. It鈥檚 named for a Parkland football coach who was killed in the shooting and who鈥檚 been called a hero for his actions to shield students during the attack. Supporters of the measure said it would help to 鈥渉arden schools.鈥�
- The bill created a commission to 鈥渋nvestigate system failures in the Parkland school shooting and prior mass violence incidents, and develop recommendations for system improvements.鈥� It also established a program 鈥渢o assist school personnel in preparing for and responding to active emergency situations and to implement local notification systems for all Florida public schools.鈥�
- The bill鈥檚 $400 million for school mental health services and security measures, including metal detectors and the placement of at least one police officer in every school, raised concerns from some civil rights groups, who are concerned about how school police interact with black and Latino students.
But the compromise represented a good starting point for many of the families.
鈥淎s families, we came from different backgrounds and we hold a variety of viewpoints; yet we united around this simple idea: our children and teachers should be safe at school,鈥� a statement from the families read. 鈥淲e rallied to the battle cry: This time must be different!鈥�
Photo: Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act in his office at the state Capitol in Tallahassee on March 9. Scott is flanked by parents of several of the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland. --Mark Wallheiser/AP