Senate

Senate Dems request health panel hearing on school shootings

by Jordain Carney - 03/26/18 2:00 PM ET

Senate Democrats want the chamber’s health committee to hold a hearing on the causes and remedies of mass shootings, including school shootings.

Nine Democrats, as well as Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), sent a letter last week to Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top members on the panel, requesting they schedule a hearing in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting, in which 17 people were killed.

“As senators, it is our responsibility to address gun violence like the public health crisis that it is, investigate the causes of these deadly acts of violence and hatred, and make policy changes to ensure that they no longer happen,” they wrote.

{mosads}They added “we request that you hold a hearing as soon as possible to examine the causes and remedies for mass shootings, including school shootings, across the country.”

Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Tina Smith (Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Bob Casey (Pa.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Doug Jones (Ala.) and Michael Bennet (Colo.), as well as Sanders, signed the letter.

The proposed hearing, according to the senators, would include testimony from survivors of gun violence and those who have been affected by it, as well as experts on public health research.

An omnibus funding bill President Trump signed on Friday includes a clarification stating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can conduct research on gun violence.

The letter comes after thousands protested in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States on Saturday as part of March for Our Lives, which was organized by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

“The shooting was a sober reminder that mass shootings, including school shootings, and gun violence more broadly, are persistent threats that affect children, teachers, and families across this country,” the senators added in the letter.