Parkland shooting: One year later

The tragedy started a national push for tighter gun laws, but some are wondering if we're any safer now than we were a year ago.

News 12 Staff

Feb 14, 2019, 1:46 PM

Updated 1,906 days ago

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Parkland shooting: One year later
Thursday marked one year since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
It’s a tragedy that started a national push for tighter gun laws, but some are wondering if we're any safer now than we were a year ago.
Dix Hills resident Linda Beigel Schulman thinks back to the day her only son was murdered.
Watch the video below for an extended interview with Linda Beigel Schulman.
Scott Beigel was a geography teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and died while protecting his students from a mass shooter.

A total of 17 people were killed on that tragic day, and since then, Linda and many others have turned their grief into action.

The shooting sparked a national movement. Protests and walkouts happened at schools on Long Island and across the country. In some cases, that action created political change.

New York state lawmakers recently passed a series of sweeping gun safety measures.

The measures included a so-called "Red Flag Bill," which allows family members, school officials, or law enforcement to identify potentially dangerous people and petition a judge to have their firearms taken away.

Red flag laws have been spreading quickly throughout the country. One year ago, they were only found in five states, but since the Parkland shooting the number has more than doubled.

The legislation would also prevent teachers from carrying firearms at schools.

Gun owner, Joseph Sabiam, a mechanic from Northport, says he's behind that idea and thinks stronger security is needed.

“Teachers are there to teach. They're not there to be armed guards. I'm all for armed guards in schools,” said Sabiam.
In the year since Parkland, dozens of new gun safety laws have been passed throughout the country.
 


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