Vice President Mike Pence vowed the administration will tackle school safety and mental health in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that claimed 17 lives.
“When President Trump meets with our nation’s governors in just a few short weeks he will make the safety of our nation’s schools our top administration priority,” Pence said before an issue advocacy group in Dallas on Saturday.
While addressing the pro-Trump group, America First Policies, Pence vowed to “get to the bottom” of Wednesday’s massacre and said the Justice Department is looking into “the intersection of mental health and criminality.”
“We are going to remain focused on bringing renewed energy to making our schools safe and taking a renewed look at giving law enforcement and local authorities the tools they need to deal with individuals struggling with dangerous mental illness,” the vice president said.
“We are continuing bring the full resources of the federal government to bear in support of Broward County Sheriff's Office and in support of this investigation. We will get to the bottom of what happened here,” VP Mike Pence says https://t.co/3r43jYwUjI pic.twitter.com/07J14u8nEQ— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 17, 2018
Pence also took a jab at the media and Washington, D.C., for twisting the massacre into a political debate in the wake of tragedy, whereas he says the Trump administration is “going to stay focused.”
“In America, we mourn with those who mourn, and we grieve with those who grieve,” VP Mike Pence says, addressing the school shooting in Florida. “As the president said yesterday, our entire nation is praying for the victims and their families.” https://t.co/3r43jYwUjI pic.twitter.com/gg2RxvedaG— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 17, 2018
Several Democrats in Congress are calling for gun control reform after the deadly shooting Wednesday. For example, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., announced her intent to introduce a bill on Friday that would require all rifle purchases from gun dealers be restricted to individuals 21 years old and over.
The shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, who confessed to being the gunman, used an AR-15-style rifle in the attack say authorities.
The vice president closed out his speech Saturday by encouraging the crowd of Texans to turn to prayer, like they did in the wake of the deadly church shooting in Sutherland Springs late last year.
“Let’s pray for wisdom for all in positions of authority, that we might find a way to come together as a nation to confront and end this evil, in our time, once and for all,” he said.
Pence touched on a number of other issues during his speech, including jobs, tax cuts, and foreign policy.
