The father of one of the victims of the Parkland school shooting has said efforts to change U.S. gun laws is ‘not achievable’.
Andrew Pollack’s daughter Meadow, 18, was ‘stalked and shot nine times’ by Nikolas Cruz, 19, a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day.
The horrific shooting, which saw Cruz murder 17 people, has sparked a debate on U.S. gun laws and nationwide protests against the lenient regulations around semi-automatic weapons and background checks.
Campaigning: Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow, pictured, was killed in the Parkland school shooting has warned against focusing only on gun laws, and not overall school safety
Caveat: Mr Pollack, pictured with his daughter Meadow, said he does not think changing gun laws is ‘achievable’
However, Pollack warned against focusing only on gun laws, and not overall school safety in an interview this weekend.
‘Gun laws right now are not achievable. My daughter was murdered by a gun. She should have been safe in the school, he told CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday.
‘I’m not saying don’t go after gun laws. I’m not a gun expert. I’m saying that’s the problem.’
He added that school shootings ‘always getting twisted into gun laws and gun control. If we all focus together, one nation, no political affiliation, we could work together and make the schools safe, and then go fight it out.’
Victim: Meadow Pollack was shot nine times by mass murdered Nikolas Cruz at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day
Andrew Pollack (center) described how his daughter Meadow Pollack was shot nine at last week’s deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He was joined by his son’s at Wednesday’s White House event
Killer: Nikolas Cruz killed 14 students and three members of staff on Valentine’s Day
His comments came after the Florida state senate briefly approved a two-year freeze on the sale of AR-15 rifles on Saturday, before overturning the measure 15 minutes after the initial vote.
The vote to pass the bill came on an unrecorded voice vote, in which lawmakers shouted ‘yea’ or ‘nay’.
The measure then failed 21-17 on a recorded vote minutes later.
The no votes were all cast by Republicans, while two Republicans joined 15 Democrats on the yea votes.
Mr Pollack was one of the attendees of Donald Trump’s listening session at the White House in the wake of the shooting, where he had some stern words for the President.
‘I’m very angry that this happened, because it keeps happening,’ the bereaved father said, declaring that 9/11 ‘happened once, and they fixed everything.
Students are evacuated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting
Pollack told Trump: ‘How many schools, how many children have to get shot?
‘It stops here with this administration and me. I’m not going to sleep until it’s fixed. And Mr. President, we’re going to fix it. Because I’m going to fix it. I’m not going to rest.’
‘Fix it! It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it! And I’m pissed!
‘Because my daughter I’m not going to see again. She’s not here. She’s not here. She’s at, in North Lauderdale, in King David Cemetery. That’s where I go to see my kid now.’