Our country is still in shock about the terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This sad killing of children in a school demands a response from lawmakers across the country. Some will use this event as an opportunity to grandstand and propose legislation that we all know will not succeed. Some will use this event as an opportunity to seek out practical steps that lawmakers are likely to come to consensus around in a serious effort to prevent the next mass killing. We need both approaches--the loud calls to bold action and the pragmatic building blocks that will result in a safer nation for us and our children.
I am introducing two pieces of legislation that I hope will be practical building blocks: requiring school systems to ensure that families know the crisis plans at their children's schools and how to support those plans; and a re-introduction of my earlier legislation banning guns on school grounds. I ask for community support for these steps toward safer schools in Virginia.
