Trump Meets With Parkland Families Ahead of Massacre Anniversary

In an effort to combat gun violence and ensure that schools are safer since the tragic Parkland shooting, President Trump met with family members of the Parkland victims along with Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R).

In a statement released by the sunshine state lawmaker, Diaz-Balart commented on the meeting, saying that “it was a privilege to join the President and Parkland families at the White House today to announce the launch of schoolsafety.gov, a website designed to assist the public with school safety and security best practices.”

He added that “the creation of a federal clearinghouse for school safety has been a top priority for the Administration and the Parkland families, and I have been working with my colleagues to codify this effort in statute with the Luke and Alex School Safety Act.”

Diaz-Balart asserted that “it is imperative that our communities have access to this vital information, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to ensure the safety of our children and our schools.”

The issue of gun control and school safety has been a central concern in the upcoming presidential election with several candidates such as New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg (D) making it a part of his platform.

Ryan Petty, father of 14-year-old Alaina Petty, expressed that “it was a phenomenal day for us. This is two years of work with this administration to first set up the federal school safety commission and then get to the point where this federal school clearinghouse is actually up live and working.”