By KURTIS RATTAY
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday flatly accused the leader of the National Rifle Association of being responsible for the shooting deaths of students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, responding to NRA head Wayne LaPierre’s earlier criticism of him and other Democratic leaders.
“My answer to Wayne LaPierre is you are one of the people responsible for this massacre and all the massacres before,” de Blasio said.
At a City Hall press conference announcing that J. Phillip Thompson would be the new Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives beginning next month, the mayor swiftly shifted attention to gun safety regulations, the NRA and active shooter preparedness at middle and high schools.
“The leaders of the NRA are in league with the gun industry and it’s not just a political question here, this is a question of profit,” the mayor said. “We have to understand at this point in history the NRA is the problem.”
De Blasio also found it “stunning” that NRA leadership expressed no penitence in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School which left 17 dead on Valentine’s Day, and reignited the gun debate.
Earlier at a Conservative Political Action Conference at the National Harbor in Maryland LaPierre had said, “Their (Democratic politicians’) goal is to eliminate the second amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms,”
De Blasio also announced initiatives to combat school shootings and prepare city students for an active shooter. Middle and high schools will have safety drills four times a year. Additionally, all middle and high schools will undergo random weapon scanning “for at least a day,” while some schools will have them regularly.
“If ever there is an indication that there is something wrong, it’s that we have to teach our young people to get ready for a mass shooting,” de Blasio said.
The mayor’s announcing safety preparedness and random screenings comes after President Trump recommended arming teachers as a measure to deter school shootings.
“The president doesn’t know anything about public schools,” de Blasio said. “I have no reason to believe he went to a public school or his kids went to a public school. There is nothing more terrifying than putting more guns in our children’s schools.”
New York City high schoolers are also following the trend of students acting to demand gun reform by planning a walkout for March 14. Participating students had de Blasio’s respect, he said.
“If I was a high school student today I would be walking out, there is no question about it,” he said. “The current leadership in Washington has not protected our young people and they have every right to stand up.”
For Mayor de Blasio, the Florida shooting has a different tone from the Sandy Hook elementary shooting.
“The difference in Florida is these students are older,” he said. “They can speak for themselves now and they have. They have their own voices and they’re not waiting on anyone else.”
Photo of mayor by Kurtis Rattay
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