THE RUNWAY. THE CREW REALIZED HIS NAME WAS NOT ON THE MANIFEST AND HE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. >>> SATURDAY MARKS 25 YEARS SINCE THE DEADLY MASS SHOOTING AT COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL IN LITTLETON COLORADO. ON APRIL 20, 1999, TWO STUDENTS OPENED FIRE KILLING 13 PEOPLE AND INJURING 21 OTHERS IN A SHOCKING DISPLAY OF VIOLETS. NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE STORIES ARE ALL TOO COMMON. GUN VIOLENCE ARCHIVES SAYS THERE HAVE BEEN 118 MASS SHOOTING SO FAR THIS YEAR AND WE ARE IN APRIL. SANDY HOOK PROMISED REPORTS OR THE 338,000 STUDENTS IN THE U.S. HAVE EXPERIENCED GUN VIOLENCE AT SCHOOL SINCE COLUMBINE. >> DAVID IS ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS FIRSTHAND. HE SURVIVED THE 2018 MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS PARKLAND SHOOTING IN PARKLAND, FLORIDA. HE IS A BOARD MEMBER OF MARK FOR OUR LIVES THAT SUPPORTS GUN LEGISLATION. DAVID, WELCOME BACK. COLUMBINE FOR ME WAS A HUGE INFLUENCE IN MY LIFE AND IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY OF US, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO WERE STUDENTS AT THE TIME. YOU NEVER KNEW LIFE BEFORE COLUMBINE, YOU WERE BORN A YEAR LATER AND YOUR LIFE WAS UPENDED BY A SCHOOL SHOOTING THAT WAS ALL TOO SIMILAR. YOU THINK AN OPPORTUNITY WAS MISSED TO TRY TO CHANGE POLICIES THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE TRAGEDY YOU EXPERIENCED? >> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT THERE ARE SO MANY TIMES THAT IF WE HAD AN EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT, EFFECTIVE POLITICIANS AND LEADERS THAT COLUMBINE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LAST SCHOOL SHOOTING IN AMERICAN HISTORY. UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE NRA AND SPECIAL INTEREST, OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM IS CORRUPT AND THE CONSEQUENCE IS DEADLY. >> YOU HAVE MADE IT YOUR LIFE'S MISSION FIGHTING FOR GUN- CONTROL MEASURES. TALK TO US ABOUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LEGACY OF COLUMBINE WHAT HAS CHANGED? >> WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS GUN LAWS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND STATE LEGISLATURES WHERE WE HAVE SEEN THE MOST ACTION, EVEN IN PLACES LIKE FLORIDA THAT WERE ENTIRELY CONTROLLED AT THE TIME FOLLOWING THE SHOOTING AT MY HIGH SCHOOL BY REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATURE. WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE THE AGE TO BUY GUNS TO 21 AND WE WERE ABLE TO CHANGE GUN LAWS AND PASS RED FLAGS. LAST YEAR AFTER YOU'VE ALL THE WE SAW THE FIRST PASSAGE OF GUN LAW AND 30 YEARS THAT CLOSED THE LOOPHOLE THAT ENABLED THE COLUMBINE SHOOTERS TO BE ARMED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THAT SHOULD'VE HAPPENED DECADES AGO AND I AM GLAD IT HAS HAPPENED BUT WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO. >> AS YOU ARE LISTING THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU AND OTHERS WHO WERE REALLY MOVED TO MAKE CHANGES, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THESE CHANGES, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL ON THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL, DO YOU FEEL LIKE ON PAR, THEY ARE NOT SUFFICIENT GIVEN WHAT YOU ARE UP AGAINST? >> CERTAINLY NOT. WE ARE STILL MAKING MORE PROGRESS, BUT IT IS NOT NEAR ENOUGH GIVING THE STAGGERING AMOUNT OF GUN VIOLENCE IN THIS COUNTRY. EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF HOW MANY SCHOOL SHOOTINGS THERE ARE AND HOW MANY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN IMPACTED, AND THEIR TEACHERS, WE HAVE SEEN THE PASSAGE OF SAFER COMMUNITY ACT IN MANY AMENITIES ACROSS UNITED STATES AND WE HAVE SEEN DOUBLE- DIGIT DECLINE IN HOMICIDE RATES. IS THAT PERFECT? CERTAINLY NOT, BUT IT IS PROGRESS. WE CANNOT STOP UNTIL NO PERSON HAS TO FEAR GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY, WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF PROGRESS BEING MADE. >> WHEN WE LAST SPOKE, YOU AND I WERE DISCUSSING THE EFFORTS TO GET PEOPLE ELECTED. HOW IS THAT GOING? >> IT IS GOING GREAT. RECENTLY IN VIRGINIA, THE ORGANIZATION I WORK WITH PUT THE PRESSURE ON POLITICIANS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE ACTING ON GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION. I ALSO HAVE AN ORGANIZATION CALLED LEADERS DESERVE AND THEY ARE A YOUNG GENERATION TRYING TO BRING THEM TO THE COMMERCIAL OFFICE. WE HAD OUR FIRST WIN IN VIRGINIA WHERE CLARK HELPED SECURE A ONE SEAT MAJORITY IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE WHERE HE WAS ABLE, IN COMMITTEE, BECAUSE OF THAT WIN, HE WAS ABLE TO PASS OR STOP A BUILDUP THAT WAS AIMED AT TEACHERS BECAUSE OF THAT ONE SEAT MAJORITY THAT HE SECURED AND HE IS THE YOUNGEST PERSON IN THE VIRGINIA STATE LEGISLATURE AT THE MOMENT. THERE IS PROGRESS BEING MADE, IS IT AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE? CERTAINLY NOT. I DO NOT FEEL LIKE WE ARE SUCCEEDING AS MUCH AS I WISH, BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS. WE JUST HAD THE FIRST MARCH FOR OUR LIVES MEMBER ELECTED INTO CONGRESS IN 2022. >> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
