Child’s question on school shootings chokes up Sanders

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders became emotional on Wednesday when a child at the White House press briefing said he does not feel safe in school because of the threat of mass shootings.

“One thing that affects my and other students’ mental health is the worry about the fact we or our friends could get shot at school,” said Benje Choucroun, 13, a reporter for Time for Kids.

He then asked what the Trump administration is doing to prevent “senseless tragedies” at school. 

{mosads}“As a kid and certainly as a parent, there is nothing that could be more terrifying for a kid to go to school and not feel safe,” Sanders responded, her voice trembling. “So I’m sorry that you feel that way.” 

The spokeswoman said the White House “takes it seriously” and mentioned that its school safety commission is meeting this week to “discuss the best ways forward and how we can do every single thing within our power to protect kids in our schools.”

Sanders said earlier in the briefing that President Trump would meet on Thursday in Texas with victims’ families and survivors of the Santa Fe High School shooting, which left 10 dead and more than a dozen injured earlier this month.

Trump has faced mounting pressure from Democrats and gun-control advocates to support stricter gun laws they believe can prevent future school shootings. 

The president has supported a plan that calls for enhanced gun background checks, but backed away from a proposal to raise the age limit to purchase certain firearms. Trump has also called for arming educators to stop future shootings. 

–Updated at 3:43 p.m.