CNN Town Hall On Gun Control Draws Nearly 7,000

SUNRISE, FL — Nearly 7,000 concerned Floridians and both U.S. senators from Florida attended a town hall event at the BB&T center on Wednesday night to discuss gun control. The venue was only a short car ride away from the horrific scene of last week's Valentine's Day shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that ended with the deaths of 17 students and faculty. The event was organized by CNN.

"In this arena are thousands of people whose lives were changed forever," said the network's Jake Tapper in his opening remarks.

Tapper's remarks were followed by a short tribute to the 17 students and faculty members killed in last week's attack. Elected officials were each also invited to make opening remarks.

"We represent these fine people. We will not be judged by what we say here tonight," said U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, whose district includes the Parkland school where the attacks took place. "The folks in our community don't want words. They don't want thoughts and prayers, and we owe it to them."

Sen. Bill Nelson, the state's Democrat senator, complimented the Stoneman Douglas students for taking action so soon after the shooting.

"We're all grieving. Your hope gives me hope. Your determination gives me more determination and what we're facing is what's going to be done?" Nelson told the audience. "Now there ought to be some common sense solutions like getting the assault rifles off the streets. Another common sense solution: Having criminal background checks on everyone acquiring a gun."

Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sympathized with the audience but said he would not support a proposed assault weapons ban. He pointed to such a ban in New York that he said led to some — but not all — such weapons from being sold. Those that were outlawed required only a small modification to be sold again.

"We instead should make sure that dangerous criminals — people who are deranged — cannot buy any gun of any kind," said Rubio.

But Rubio earned praise from pundits simply by showing up at the event in which it was clear that parents and students favored more restrictions on guns.

The town hall came as 100 Stoneman Douglas survivors were in Tallahassee on Wednesday to call for a ban on assault rifles like the AR-15 rifle used by the emotionally troubled former student who roamed the halls of the Parkland school one week earlier, mowing down victims with the powerful rifle he purchased legally. Still other Stoneman Douglas students traveled to Washington, D.C. where they participated in a listening session with President Trump, Vice President Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

It also came as thousands of high school students in Broward, Miami-Dade Counties and elsewhere in the nation walked out of their classrooms in peaceful marches to show solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas students.

Ashley Kurth, a culinary teacher at Stoneman Douglas, who sheltered dozens of children during the attack, said she has been a Republic for years but she does not support arming teachers.

"Am I supposed to have a Kevlar vest?" she asked the Republican senator.

Rubio said he doesn't support arming teachers, something that President Trump may have been exploring on Wednesday when he asked participants of his listening session to weigh in on the topic at the White House earlier in the day.

"I think it is a terrible idea," said Nelson. He also said that a single armed deputy on school property isn't sufficient to protect students. "That deputy can't be in all of your buildings in a school of 3,000 students. It will help. It's a deterrent."

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel agreed with Nelson. "I don't believe teachers should be armed," said Israel. "I believe teachers should teach."

A female student asked why it's taken so long for lawmakers to consider change. "Why do we have to be the last school? Why wasn't the first school the last school?" she asked.

Rubio said he believes there is sufficient support in the Republican-controlled Senate to ban bump stocks and introduce new requirements for background checks.

National Rifle Association spokeswoman

Dana Loesch drew harsh criticism from audience members as she spoke on behalf of her organization's five million members. Loesch attempted to steer the audience to missed opportunities by law enforcement agencies to prevent last week's tragedy.

"I don't believe that this insane monster should have ever been able to obtain a firearm, ever," she emphasized. "This individual was nuts."

But Loesch did not go so far as supporting a ban on assault weapons or on raising the minimum age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott did not attend the town hall though he was invited. President Trump, who was also invited, held his listening session at the White House on Wednesday instead.

Asked by a Stoneman Dougleas student if he would stop accepting contributions from the National Rifle Association, Rubio said that he would continue to accept the help of anyone who agrees with his agenda. He said that he supports raising the age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21 which runs contrary to the NRA position.

"I do support the Second Amendment and I also support the right of you and everyone else to go to school and be safe," Rubio insisted. "The influence of these groups comes not from money. The influence comes from millions of Americans who support their agenda."

Rubio also said he would consider limiting the size of magazines used in firearms. He said that such a change might not have prevented last week's attack but it might have saved the lives of three or four people.

CNN live streamed the event: “Stand Up: The Students of Stoneman Douglas Demand Action” from 9-11 p.m. ET on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android.

The Town Hall was also able to be viewed on CNNgo, (CNN.com/go) plus the CNNgo app for AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku TV devices.

The event closed with a poem by slain student Alex Schachter and an original song by the Stoneman Douglas drama club.

Schachter's poem was read aloud by his father Max. It was titled, "Life is Like A Roller Coaster." The song called "Shine" was written in the days following the attack.

"You're not going to knock us down. We'll get back up again," the song went. "Together we have the power to change the world around us."

Photo of the BB&T Center courtesy Florida Panthers