Biden Commemorates 4-Year Anniversary of Parkland Shooting, Says Congress Must Act on Gun Control

President Joe Biden commemorated the fourth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and called on Congress to act and pass gun control legislation.

“On February 14th, 2018, a gunman stole the lives of 14 students and 3 educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” Biden wrote on Twitter.

He added: “Today we mourn with the Parkland families whose lives were upended and stand with those working to end the epidemic of gun violence. Congress must act.”

Biden also issued an official statement.

“On this difficult day, we mourn with the Parkland families whose lives were upended in an instant; who had to bury a piece of their soul deep in the earth,” he said. “We pray too for those still grappling with wounds both visible and invisible. And, as we remember those lost in Parkland, we also stand with Americans in every corner of our country who have lost loved ones to gun violence or had their lives forever altered by a shooting, in tragedies that made headlines and in ones that did not.”

“Out of the heartbreak of Parkland a new generation of Americans all across the country marched for our lives and towards a better, safer America for us all,” Biden continued. “Together, this extraordinary movement is making sure that the voices of victims and survivors and responsible gun owners are louder than the voices of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association.”

In October, Nikolas Cruz, the gunman responsible for the shooting, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in relation to the killings.

Earlier, Manuel Oliver – the father of Joaquin Oliver, who died in the shooting – climbed a construction crane near the White House in an effort to bring attention to gun violence.

The Metropolitan Police Department later took him into custody.

Alan Ryland

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.