About 300 students and teachers, plus Congresswoman Doris Matsui, were at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento for a gun-violence forum on Friday afternoon.
Several voiced their fears of something like the shooting in Parkland, Florida, happening in their community — and offered solutions. The most popular sentiment involved restrictions on semi-automatic rifles and accessories.
Bob Badal supported a ban. "I would like to see assault weapons completely banned illegal in this country,” he said. “I have two guns and two shotguns at home. I'm not against people having guns."
As to the question of the best response when a shooter is on campus, few attendees favored armed teachers. Mimi Budd said law enforcement with training on active shooter scenarios could be an option.
"That I find less frightening than the thought we're arming teachers. I'd need to know more about it. But, that sounds a little more agreeable to me,” she said.
Some students at the high school plan to participate in a 17-minute walkout on Wednesday.
The Sacramento City Unified School District says it is working with schools to prepare for walkouts.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today