A mass shooting at Florida State University on Wednesday left two non-students dead and six others injured, igniting renewed discussions about gun violence in the United States. The shooter, a 20-year-old male, sustained injuries inflicted by police and is currently hospitalized with non-life-threatening conditions.
President Donald Trump addressed the incident from the Oval Office, expressing condolences to the victims while reinforcing his commitment to Second Amendment rights.
"As far as legislation is concerned, this has been going on for a long time. I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment," he said. “I ran on the Second Amendment, among many other things, and I will always protect the Second Amendment.”
Stephanie Feldman, former director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the Biden administration, shared her thoughts on the shooting.
"Another tragedy that is entirely expected in this country because of our relationship with guns and gun violence," she said, emphasizing the need for more decisive action from federal lawmakers. "We need to be demanding that the president and the Congress do more to protect lives," Feldman added.
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While President Trump condemned the shooting as "terrible" and "horrible," he reiterated his belief that guns are not the issue, stating, "The people do" the shooting. Feldman suggested that addressing gun violence requires a two-pronged approach: assessing individuals who may pose a threat and regulating their access to firearms.
In particular, she pointed to the shooter’s potential access to his mother’s firearm, a common factor in school shootings.
"We often find that young people are obtaining firearms from their home or a neighbor's home," she explained.
Feldman also emphasized the need for tools such as red flag laws, which allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a risk to themselves or others.
Florida's existing red flag law, enacted under former Republican Gov. Rick Scott, allows concerned individuals to petition a court for the removal of guns from those thought to be a danger. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has both declined federal funds aimed at promoting these laws and expressed intentions to repeal them. Feldman argued that such actions would make Floridians less safe.
Despite widespread public support for universal background checks—surveys suggest that over 90% of Americans favor them—implementing effective reforms has remained challenging. Feldman expressed a measure of optimism due to the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in recent years, which expanded background checks and provided resources for states to educate the public about red flag laws.
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She noted, "We worked hard in the Biden administration to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act effectively and show that as a result, we had declines in homicides all across the country."
Feldman emphasized the importance of public advocacy for gun safety legislation, stating, "Now is the time for additional action."
The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which was active during the Biden administration, was dissolved by President Trump. Feldman expressed concern over the potential consequences of this decision, stating that a continuing office would have contributed critical support to affected communities like Florida State University.
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