ICYMI: While in Parkland, Vice President Kamala Harris Announced Two Solutions to Help Prevent Gun Violence

The Vice President launched the first-ever national resource center for red flag laws during a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris continued her leadership on addressing the epidemic of gun violence while in Parkland, FL on Saturday. She walked through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and met with families whose loved ones were murdered during the 2018 mass shooting. The Vice President also announced the launch of the first-ever national resource center for red flag laws, and made an official call to action for states to pass red flag laws and use the funding that she and President Biden delivered to help implement these laws.

"There are only 21 states that have passed red flag laws. Part of why I am here today is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law…The second reason I am here is to announce that I am launching the national Resource Center for red flag laws, and this national resource center will be a place where we will provide training for local leaders on how to use red flag laws and keep communities safe," said Vice President Harris. "These are just some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here in Parkland. And I will continue to advocate for what we must do in terms of universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and diagnosing and treating trauma in our communities."

As President Biden emphasized during his State of the Union address earlier this month, the Vice President continues to lead the administration's work to address the epidemic of gun violence while overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The Vice President also continues to call on Congress and state legislators to pass an assault weapons ban, red flag legislation, and universal background checks for all gun sales. Florida was the 16th state that Vice President Harris visited since the beginning of 2024.

Read more about the Vice President's visit to Parkland, FL:

NPR: In Parkland, VP Harris urged greater use of red flag laws to prevent shootings

Harris announced the creation of a new national resource center to provide training and technical assistance to states, local governments, law enforcement and health care providers using the laws.
"These are just some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here," Harris said.

She also called for the passage of universal background checks, a ban on military- and "assault rifle"-style firearms, and more funding for mental health care in communities.

New York Times: Kamala Harris Visits Parkland and Urges States to Adopt Red-Flag Gun Laws

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday toured the still-bloody and bullet-pocked classroom building in Parkland, Fla., where a gunman killed 14 students and three staff members in 2018, using the grim backdrop to announce a new federal resource center and to call for stricter enforcement of gun laws. […]

In her remarks, Ms. Harris announced the creation of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, which White House officials said would provide training and technical assistance to states as they work to implement their red-flag laws. "Red-flag laws are simply designed to allow communities a vehicle through which they can share, and have somewhere to share it, information about the concern about the potential danger or the crying out for help of an individual," she said.

Miami Herald: At site of Parkland school shooting, Harris announces new tool to curb gun violence

During the visit, Harris, who is the leader of the White House's Office of Gun Violence Prevention, announced the launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center.

"This National Resource Center will be a place where we will provide training for local leaders on how to use red flag laws and keep communities safe. So these are just some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here and of course I will continue to advocate for what we must do in terms of universal background checks and assault weapons ban," said Harris during her speech in the gymnasium of Stoneman Douglas. Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement officials to get court orders that temporarily take away access to guns if they feel a gun owner may harm themselves or others.

Politico: Harris urges states to pass red flag laws during Parkland visit

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday announced new gun safety initiatives from Parkland, Florida, after walking through the old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building, where 17 people were killed by a gunman in 2018. The vice president was in the state Saturday to meet with victims' families and to see the high school, which was preserved as evidence for the shooter's trial that concluded in late 2022.

AP: 'Frozen in time.' Kamala Harris tours bloodstained building where 2018 Parkland massacre happened

Harris, who leads the new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said there are lessons to be learned from Parkland, both for stopping school shootings before they happen and mitigating them with measures such as making sure classroom doors don't lock from the outside as they did at Stoneman Douglas. She pointed out that shootings are a leading cause of death for children and teenagers.

"We must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and protocols, that we must do better," Harris said.

Reuters: Kamala Harris visits Parkland shooting site, to push new gun laws

As part of her visit, Harris will call for 29 of the 50 states that have no "red flag" laws laws to pass them and encourage 15 more states that have the laws to start using available federal funds to implement them, according to a White House official.

The laws allow courts to issue "extreme risk protection orders" removing firearms from individuals considered at risk of harming themselves or others. Six U.S. states both have such laws and are tapping $750 million available under the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to implement crisis intervention programs, the official said.

Guardian: Kamala Harris announces new office to implement 'red flag' gun control laws

The launch of the federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center (Erpo) follows Joe Biden's establishment of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in September, which the president tapped Harris to lead.