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Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement on the One Year Anniversary of the Mass Shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

February 14, 2019

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PRESS PICTURE

For Immediate Release Contact: Robin Chand

February 14, 2019 (202) 225–3816

Press Statement

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Statement on the One Year Anniversary of the Mass Shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

Jackson Lee—"Spurred in part by the advocacy of Parkland survivors, voters recognized the impetus to do something and delivered one of the largest freshman classes in the history of the Congress, fueled by the largest margin of victory ever. And change is on its way. Last night, after a marathon hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, the new Democratic majority passed the first piece of gun violence prevention legislation in a quarter-century."

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget, released this statement on the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida:


"One year ago, a gunman entered the grounds of the campus where he was enrolled as a student and shot and killed 17 of his fellow classmates and faculty leaders. Another 17 were injured.

"The advocacy of those who survived the carnage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida inspired the country to act and say enough is enough. Just one month after the shooting, those who survived organized a nationwide March For Our Lives which drew almost a million people to our nation's capital, and countless millions more across the country. One survivor, Emma Gonzales presciently admonished us to fight for our lives before it becomes someone else's job.

"But, our collective national response has been fleeting. To say that senseless gun violence has been abated is not correct. In the year since the Parkland Massacre, we have lost another 1,200 children to gun violence, and thousands of other Americans.

"Yet, there is hope. Spurred in part by the advocacy of Parkland survivors, voters recognized the impetus to do something and delivered one of the largest freshman classes in the history of the Congress, fueled by the largest margin of victory ever. And, change is on its way. Last night, after a marathon hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, the New Democratic majority passed the first piece of gun control legislation in many decades."

Congresswoman Jackson Lee is a Democrat from Texas's 18th Congressional District. She is a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget.