Former CIA Director John Brennan praised students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who are calling for harsher gun laws following last week’s shooting at the Parkland, Fla., high school, and implored President Trump to “listen, absorb, and act.”
“I greatly admire the courageous Parkland students. Open discussion on how to end mass shootings essential. @realdonaldtrump needs to listen, absorb, and act. Stronger background checks, ban on bump stocks & assault weapons, and better ability to identify warning signs are key,” the former CIA director under President Obama tweeted Thursday.
I greatly admire the courageous Parkland students. Open discussion on how to end mass shootings essential. @realdonaldtrump needs to listen, absorb, and act. Stronger background checks, ban on bump stocks & assault weapons, and better ability to identify warning signs are key.
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) February 22, 2018
Trump met with students and parents of those who survived the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., and others who lost children in previous school shootings, during a listening session at the White House on Wednesday, during which they discussed policies to combat gun violence.
Students from the school also protested at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee to urge state lawmakers there to pass stricter gun laws.
Trump has said he is open to raising the federal minimum age to purchase an assault rifle from 18 to 21 years old and backs comprehensive background checks. The president is also advocating a proposal to arm some “gun adept teachers with military or special training experience.”
On Tuesday, Trump said he asked the Justice Department to regulate bump stocks.
