While Congress and the White House sit on their hands and continue to take no action to reduce gun violence, the Department of Homeland Security has “issued a $1.8 million grant in order to create a program providing “lifesaving trauma training to high school age students for mass casualty events,” according to federal procurement records, first reported Monday by The Young Turks.
According to the report, “the training program, called ‘School-Age Trauma Training,’ seeks to provide ‘the knowledge necessary to stabilize the injured and control severe bleeding until first responders arrive on the scene,’ ” the documents state.
Since the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., the Trump Administration has done almost nothing to actually address gun violence, despite creating a sham “school safety commission” led by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Shortly after the commission was created, Secretary DeVos announced the Commission would not even look at the role of guns in school shootings.
It’s critical to do everything possible to prevent senseless gun violence in our schools and communities — starting with legislation proven to help save lives. Here are meaningful steps the Trump Administration could take to actually address gun violence at schools and elsewhere:
- The Trump Administration could publicly support legislation to require background checks on all commercial gun sales, legislation backed by 97 percent of Americans, and call for a vote when Congress returns from recess next month. H.R. 4240, the bipartisan background check bill introduced in the House by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY) already has 208 cosponsors, nearing a majority.
- The Administration could get behind a bipartisan federal Red Flag Law, S. 2521, introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), that would empower family members and law enforcement in 50 states to seek an extreme risk protection order, a federal court order that temporarily blocks a person from having guns when they pose a serious danger to self or others. The president has not gotten behind this legislation.
- And the Administration could call on Congress to vote on legislation to raise the age requirement for buying semi-automatic rifles to 21 years of age, a policy that has been introduced in bipartisan legislation.