up." as alisyn said, there are thousands of people in the auditorium. communities members, parents, teachers, lawmakers, legislators, and of course, as you saw, students from surrounding schools as well. marco rubio is on the stage. the students from stoneman douglas. the cnn town hall, students demanding action, starts now. ♪ good evening and welcome to broward county, florida. i'm jake tapper. you're about to witness an historic exchange between survivors of a horrific school shooting and their elected leaders. in this arena are thousands of people whose lives were changed forever one week ago today, when a gunman opened fire inside marjory stoneman douglas high school and killed 17 students

and teachers. four victims remain hospitalized. since this horrible day, we've seen this community come together and we have seen an amazing and eloquent group of students with various opinions talk about what they feel needs to change. we're here tonight to facilitate your desire to speak directly to your leaders. students and family members and faculty will get to ask questions to florida's two u.s. senators, republican marco rubio and democrat bill nelson as well as their congressman democrat ted deutsche. later tonight these students and their families will get to ask questions of the broward county sheriff, scott israel, and a national spokesperson for the nra. we should note president trump declined an invitation to be here tonight either in person or from the white house, as did florida governor rick scott who declined to be here in person or from tallahassee. before we begin, we want to take some time to remember the 17

beloved members of the community who were murdered one week ago. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ >> may their memory be a blessing. students, parents, and teachers, the lawmakers are ready to answer your questions. but first, they each wanted a minute to address you

specifically. i'm going to start with congressman deutch. >> thanks, jake. [ applause ] thank you. thank you. and thank you to cnn for being here in south florida for a very important and yet incredibly difficult evening. a lot of people have told this community, people from all around the world, that it's too soon, it's too soon to get together to have this kind of forum. it's too soon to talk about preventing another tragedy like the one that struck our community from happening anywhere again. it's too soon to talk about getting weapons of war out of our communities. it is not too soon. it is too late for the 17 lives that were lost. [ cheers and applause ]

it is too late for the grieving families, too late for the injured, too late for the 3,300 survivors of what happened. senator rubio and senator nelson, we represent these fine people. we will not be judged by what we say here tonight, by the quality of our answers, or by any back and forth in words. the folks in our community don't want words. they don't want thoughts and prayers. they don't want discussions. they want action. and we owe it to them to provide it. [ cheers and applause ] >> senator nelson? senator nelson?

>> 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. there ought to be some common sense solutions like getting the assault rifles off the streets. [ cheers and applause ] another common sense solution having criminal background checks on every acquirer of a

gun. [ applause ] so you have been so strong. keep it up. and keep hope alive. thank you. [ applause ] >> senator rubio? there's no words that could describe the pain that a parent feels at the loss of a child or when you lose someone, it's not natural to lose a child. and i am a u.s. senator. and i'm also a member of this community. and i'm also a father. and i'm also a husband. and i'm also someone who loves. but i don't know what the pain is like to lose a child. i did not grow up in a school or

in an era in which children were shot in classrooms. and even as we watch this pain and the nation suffers with you, we can never know the feeling. i can tell you this. there is a message that's come through loud and clear. and that is that beyond simply the pain, mixed with that pain is a demand for action. [ applause ] in that realm, i want to be honest with you. i think all of us would like to see action. but i want to tell you, what we're going to struggle with. we are a nation of people that no longer speak to each other. we are a nation of people who have stopped being friends with people because of who they voted for in the last election. we are a nation of people who have isolated ourselves to only watch channels that tell us that we're right. we're a nation of people that have isolated ourselves

politically and to a point where discussions like this have become very difficult. i'm here tonight. and i'm here tonight to answer any question anyone has, explain anything you want to know about what i stand for, what i've done, and what i plan to do. and to the students that are here tonight, the ones on the stage, the ones in the audience, i want you to know that i'm actually extremely excited about your engagement. and i'll tell you why. i'll tell you why. because i think you have a chance to do a lot more than change gun laws. you should push for that. you have a chance to do a lot more than that. you have a chance to change the way we talk about politics in this country. and the reason why this event is here so important tonight, the reason why this event is so important, none of us wish we were here. eight days ago none of you thought we would be here. but we are here, and it's important that we are, because tonight people who have different of points view are

going to talk about an issue that i think we all believe and that is that this should never have happened and it can never happen again. and if we want to truly ensure that it doesn't, if we want to ensure that it doesn't, we are going to have to find a way as a nation, as a nation, to work with people that may not agree with us on certain things, without accusing one another of being evil people. and my side is as guilty of that as any. and here is what i hope for the students. do not make the mistakes that my generation is making. it may not be -- i hope it's not too late for my generation. it most certainly is not for yours. understand that people, and i think on a regular basis we do it in the senate, between senator nelson and i, i think people who disagree on issues can agree own what they want to achieve and find a way forward. that's what i hope tonight is beyond anything else. because sadly, we cannot reverse what happened seven days ago today. but we can make sure that one of

these events never happens again in any community in this country. if tonight is the beginning of that, we will have said this is meaningful. that's what i'm here to do. and that's what i hope we can achieve together. that's why i'm here tonight. you may not like everything i say or everything i stand for. but i want to find a way forward to solve this problem so that never again will any community have to face this, any parent have to face this, or any child, yours or mine, have to face this. a in what i believe is the greatest nation on earth. [ applause ] >> thank you. i want to bring in ryan schachter. ryan schachter's younger brother alex was killed in the shooting. alex was 14. he played in the school band and the school orchestra. ryan has a question for congressman deutch. ryan? [ cheers and applause ]

>> congressman deutch, my name is ryan schachter. i'm a senior at marjory stoneman douglas high school. my brother alex was killed in the shooting last wednesday. i'm supposed to go back to school in the upcoming week. my friends and i are worried that we are going to be murdered in our classrooms. what reassurances can you give me and what specifically are you going to do to make sure we don't have this fear? >> first of all, i offer my heart if he would condolences. i'm sorry for your loss. and i understand why you feel that way, because in our country today, what happened at stoneman douglas has tapped too many times. what am i going to do? well, as a starter, next week when we go back to washington, we're going to introduce legislation to make sure that assault weapons are illegal in every part of this country. [ cheers and applause ]

but that's not -- that's not going to help you when you go back to school. all i can tell you is that we stand -- we stand with law enforcement in broward county. we stand with the administration and the teachers in your school to provide as much security, as much comfort, as much as can make you feel that you're in a safe place. but beyond that, the best way for us to show that is to take action in washington, in tallahassee, to get these weapons of war off of our streets. >> thank you, congressman. [ applause ] i want to bring in fred guttenberg. fred's 14-year-old daughter jamie was lost last week. he has a question for senator rubio. [ applause ] >> senator rubio, i just listened to your opening, and thank you. i want to like you. here's the problem.

and i'm a brutally honest person so i'm just going to say it up front. >> yes, sir. >> when i like you, you know it. when i'm pissed as you, you know it. your comments this week and those of our president have been pathetically weak. [ cheers and applause ] so you and i are now eye to eye. because i want to like you. look at me and tell me. guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in this school this week. and look at me and tell me you accept it and you will work with us to do something about guns. [ cheers and applause ]

>> fred, fred, i'm not -- first of all, what i -- let me explain what i said this week, and i'll repeat it. i'll repeat what i said. [ audience reacting ] then i'll tell what you i'm going to do. i'm going to talk about what i said this week. i said that the problems that we are facing -- >> let him speak. i think we need to hear it. >> i'm saying that the problems we face here today cannot be solved by gun laws alone. i'll tell you -- >> were guns the factor in the hunting of our kids -- >> of course they were. number one, fred, i absolutely believe that in this country, if you are 18 years of age you should not be able to buy a rifle. i will support a law that takes that right away. >> fantastic.

>> i will support -- i will support the banning of bump stocks. i know the president has ordered the attorney general to do it and if he doesn't, we should do it by law. i will support changing our background system so that it includes more information than it includes now. and that all states across the country are required or incentivized to report all the information into it. and let me tell what you i've done already. last year, when we came up with our budget in the senate, i pushed for and got approved $50 million a year through the sandy hook initiative to provide a threat assessment fund for all states to be able to stand up in each of the school districts a way to identify people who could potentially do this. and get ahead of it before it happens. i support -- i support moving forward on that initiative and making it widely available for everyone around the country. now, i think what you're asking about is the assault weapons ban. >> yes, sir. >> so let me be honest with you about that one.

if i believed that that law would have prevented this from happening, i would support it. [ audience reacting ] >> i want to explain why it would not. >> senator rubio, my daughter, running down the hallway at marjory stoneman douglas was shot in the back with an assault weapon, the weapon of choice. >> yes, sir. >> okay? it is too easy to get. it is a weapon of war. the fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that, i'm sorry. >> sir, i do believe what you're saying is true. [ cheers and applause ] i do believe -- i do believe what you're saying is true. i do believe what you're saying -- [ audience reacts ]

>> everyone, everyone, the senator has a right to be heard. he's answering mr. guttenberg's question. >> i do believe what you're saying is true. i do believe that someone like this individual and anyone like him shouldn't have any gun, not this gun, any gun. if you'll indulge me for a minute to explain to you the problem. first you have to define what it is. if you look at the law and its definition, it basically bans 200 models of guns, 220 specific models of guns. >> good. good. >> okay? but it allows legal 2,000 other types of gun that are identical. identical. [ audience reacts ] in the way they function, in how fast they fire, in the type of caliber they fire, in the way they perform, they are indistinguishable from the ones that become illegal and the only thing that separates the two types, the only thing that

separates the two types is if you put a plastic handle grip on one it becomes banned, if it doesn't have a plastic handle grip, it does not become banned. let me explain -- >> are you saying you will start with the 200 and work your way up? >> i will explain to you what has happened. >> it's a place to start. we can do that. >> let me explain to you what's happened. in new york they passed that ban. and you know what they've done to get right around it? it took them 15 seconds to do it. they simply take the plastic tip off, they take the plastic grip oft off -- >> so we don't start. >> it performs the exact same way. my belief remains that rather than continue to try to chase every loophole that's created, that's why it failed in '94, that's why they're getting around it in california, it's how they get around it in new york, is we should make sure that dangerous criminals, people who are deranged cannot buy any gun of any kind.

that's what i believe a better answer will be. >> okay. your answer speaks for itself. >> thank you, mr. guttenberg, i appreciate your time. >> the only thing i'm not going to tell anybody in this room -- i'm not going to tell anybody in this room not to feel strongly or not to feel emotional. the only thing i'll tell you is when you do this you're eating up time that other people in the audience can use to ask questions. so you behave how you want to behave, but i want to make sure as many people in this community get to ask questions, that's why i'm here. we're going to go now to junior samantha grady. she was in one of the classrooms that the gunman attacked. she has a question for senator nelson. >> senator nelson, i was shot twice. i was grazed on my back and ricochetted on my chest. my best friend was killed right in front of me. and the experience that i had can never be taken away from me. no matter how much i want it to be. what are you going to do to

strengthen background checks to prevent another tragedy like this from occurring again? >> we have in florida what is known as the gun show loophole. there was actually a constitutional amendment passed in 1998 to our state constitution. and it was to be left up to the counties. and most of the counties have not enforced the gun show loophole. and as a result, you can go to a gun show, if it's not a licensed federal dealer that is selling a gun. there is no requirement of a criminal background check. that's one thing that can be done, not only in florida, but that can be done in washington as well. [ applause ]

you ask specifically about the criminal background check. that would certainly help. it would have if there had been an intrusive one, it would have gotten to omar mateen, the murderer in the pulse nightclub. 49 lives. i want to say that my colleague, senator rubio, and i have a good relationship. we get a lot of stuff done together. and i want you to know that i told him before we came out here tonight that he had guts coming here. [ applause ] when in fact there is no representative of the state of florida, our governor did not come here, governor scott. but marco did.

i would expand further and tell you, there are so many other things we can do, certainly mental health. certainly the question is the sheriff had brought up about putting armed deputies. but when you get right down to it, the gun is what will do the killing. i'll just finally say this. i'm a native floridian. i grew up on a ranch. i've always had guns. i've hunted all my life. i still hunt with my son. but an ak-47 and an ar-15 is not for hunting. it's for killing. [ applause ]

>> i want to bring in gabriel edenbaum. he hid in a closet until the s.w.a.t. team arrived. gabriel has a question. >> why can a 19-year-old with mental health issues and other problems walk into a gun store and buy a gun and ammunition, when his mom called the cops on him 39 times? [ applause ] >> first of all, i can't imagine -- i can't imagine how terrifying that must have been for you. and you're right to ask the question. the fact is, in this case, this shooter, 39 times, law enforcement came to visit. there were disturbing, frightening social media postings. the fact is that what we need to

do, and there are efforts at the state and there is federal legislation that would do it, is provide law enforcement the opportunity to get a gun violence temporary restraining order so that if it's clear that someone might do damage, then that person's gun should be taken away from them. [ applause ] and i know, jake, i know this is not a debate, but i don't know if we're going to get back to it. i just want to respond to something senator rubio said, because he told us a lot about his views on the assault weapons ban. i would just simply say this. if there is a problem with the assault weapons ban, which by the way, let's be clear, mass shootings wednesdnt up 200% aft

expired. but if there was a problem with the way it was written, if there were too many loopholes for people to get around it, let's bring up the assault weapons ban and close all those loopholes so we have a bill that keeps people safe. [ cheers and applause ] >> that's an excellent question, gabriel, and i want to answer that one even though it's not a debate. it's an excellent point, it's an issue i want people to understand what it's all about. i appreciate your words. being here tonight is not courage. courage is what you did and what you dies are doiguys are doing teachers and administrators. that's courage. fred, you talked to your story a moment ago. you know, i would tell you that what you've done in this effort, irrespective of we may have a different view of something, that's courage.

that's real courage. now, on the issue you've raised about your background checks, related directly to what you said about the assault weapons ban, it's not the loopholes. it's the problem that once you start looking at how easy it is to get around it, you would literally have to ban every semi-automatic rifle that's sold in america. [ cheers and applause ] >> fair enough. fair enough. that is a valid position to hold. but my colleagues do not support banning every semi-automatic rifle sold in america. [ audience reacts ] >> i believe that the idea that a gunman like this could march down the halls of stoneman douglas high school and fire off 150 rounds in six or seven minutes, that gun should be banned. there is no reason -- >> that is a very valid point. but my point is that under the

law that you support, there would still be 2,000 guns that were legal that could do the exact same thing. let's talk about what -- >> i know, but -- >> this is an important discussion because now you're seeing what the debate is about the assault weapons ban. and i just ask, will you ban -- are you in favor of banning any gun that can do what the ar-15 can do? yes or no? >> i am in favor, senator rubio, if you have a concern about -- let me just answer this question because it's important. >> it is. if that's the whole debate. >> and the answer to the question is, do i support banning weapons that fire off 150 rounds in seven or eight minutes, weapons that are weapons of war, that serve no purpose other than killing the maximum number of people they can, you bet i am. [ cheers and applause ]

>> and that is a very fair position to hold. and i just want you to understand, that goes well beyond the bill that's before us now. >> well, then, sit with me and let's come up with something you support. >> i would like to let senator nelson into this conversation as well. >> i only raise that not to get into a debate, and i want senator nelson to speak, of course. i just want to say the reason i raise that point is so you understand that is what the debate is about. it is about the fact that there are -- virtually every rifle sold in america today can do what that gun does. >> that's not true. >> it is true. it's absolutely true. >> senator nelson. >> i'm sorry. go ahead. >> let me tell you about the bill that i have co-sponsored. it defines very specifically assault rifle. it lists 200 different assault rifles.

it lists, for example, the kalashnikov ak-47, that did you know is manufactured in this state? did you know that the state of florida, the governor's office gave financial incentives for them to come into the state and manufacture? i'll tell you another one that is listed in that list of over 200 rifles. it's the sig sauer mcx. that was the one that omar mateen, despite the fact that he had been on the terrorist watch list and was off, went into a gun shop and purchased that high powered assault rifle. and on that list, it also includes the ar-15. and did you know that the state of florida, the governor's

office gave financial incentives for the colt corporation to come to kissimmee to manufacture ar-15s, the same one that wreaked such havoc here, that you all are suffering so terribly from? and so it can in fact be defined, if you're very specific. and that's the bill that i am a co-sponsor of. >> thank you, senator. i want to bring in senior ryan deitch. he has a question for senator rubio. >> first i would just like to say to senator rubio, thank you so much for coming out here. i know especially everybody that i've been working with over the past week, we've just really wanted to reach out and speak face-to-face to anybody who has a say in this debate. and i know this is not a debate, this is a discussion. but i'm just thankful to have

you here, to be looking at you today, thank you so much, sir, for coming. [ applause ] now, i would like to say, senator, these drills, code reds, active shooters, they've been a part of my life for as long as i can remember. when i was in fifth grade, i had to hide in a closet -- in a bathroom for three hours, just waiting with my teacher and nearly 20 other kids, just because a shooter has come to our town, not even in the school itself. now, seven years later, i'm in a closet with 19 other kids, waiting, fearing for my own life. now, i would like to ask you, after me and several others have been going out of their way, going to the state capitol, speaking out, we would like to know why do we have to be the ones to do this, why do we have to speak out to the capitol, why do we have to march on

washington, just to save innocent lives? [ cheers and applause ] >> i agree. you're right. you're absolutely right. and let me start by saying, and it goes without saying, that what you've lived through and what you live through is not supposed to be a part of your high school experience. it's just not supposed to happen. the second thing i would say is that it is unfortunate that in this country, we haven't been able to make progress on any major issue for a lot of different reasons, this being one of them. you do have a chance to change it, i really believe it. but to change it we are going to have to figure out how people that have strong feelings on both sides can agree on things. i think you are making progress. i can tell you what's already happening as a result of your advocacy. for example, i've already announced and i hope they pass

it, and i think they should, a concept called a gun violence restraining order that allows authorities, and it has to be somebody in your immediate familiar, somebody you live with, has to be a parent, has to be an administrator, can go to authorities and allow someone to be prevented from purchasing any firearm, not just a rifle, any firearm, to allow it to be taken away from them, and that person will have due process. about three states already have it. it could have prevented this from happening. i support that, and i hope they will pass that. i think that is a result of your advocacy. >> if i may, i do appreciate your words there. but that feels like the first step of a 5-k run. >> it certainly is. i would say it's more than a 5-k run. this issue will take more than a 5-k run. if it happens in the next three weeks, it will be because of what you guys have done. on monday of this week, we're

going to try, senator nelson and i, to pass the fix nics act, which is fixing the background check system, because the background check system is only as good as the information that's on it. one of the problems we have, and this will be an uncomfortable discussion in this country, we'll have to look at hipaa laws because right now people can't even talk to each other about what's going on in their lives. that's going to have to be fixed. what you're doing now is making a difference. it's already started to make a difference. i believe it can and will make a difference if this doesn't end here, because the way we were in this country today, and this is not a criticism of you, jake, but the cameras will leave, and the issues move on, but the heartbreak will remain. and so if we truly want this to be the last time, then what you have done cannot end next week or next month or even next year, but i do believe at the end of the three-week session in tallahassee, you've achieved that restraining order and a few

other important things i believe they're thinking about doing, i would take that, herald that as a victory, and continue moving the momentum forward until we make sure no community in america will ever have to have a forum like we're having here tonight. >> thank you, ryan. we'll hear what a stoneman douglas teacher things about arming teachers, next.

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oh hi sweetie, i just want to show you something. xfinity mobile: find my phone. [ phone rings ] look at you. this tech stuff is easy. [ whirring sound ] you want a cookie? it's a drone! i know. find your phone easily with the xfinity voice remote. one more way comcast is working to fit into your life, not the other way around. welcome back to cnn's town hall with the students and faculty and family members of stoneman douglas high school. i want to bring in right now ashley kirth.

she's a culinary arts teacher at stoneman douglas. [ cheers and applause ] for those of you at home who don't know, because i think everybody in this room knows, she sheltered 65 students in her classroom during the shooting. [ cheers and applause ] ashley, thank you so much. she has a question for senator rubio. >> senator rubio, i'm a registered republican. i voted for mr. trump. i still, you know, support the second amendment. however, with that being said, and with all these talks of gun control laws and everything that you guys have been saying to us about what you're going to do about it, a lot of the flak i've been getting back from my friends and from a lot of other people that are around the world

is, the answer to the gun problem is to arm teachers. and when i had those hundreds of terrified children that were running at me, my question to that is, am i supposed to get extra training now to serve and protect on top of educate these children on how to be these eloquent speakers that are coming up and presenting issuing to you? i mean, am i supposed to have a kevlar vest, am i supposed to strap it to my leg or put it in my desk? how am i supposed to go on that way? [ applause ] >> i don't support that. i think i join everyone here in saying what you've done is incredible heroism. it reminds us that teachers are heroes every day, not just on these days, investing in the lives of all of our students. [ applause ] i don't. and -- i don't support that. and i will admit to you right now, i answer that as much as a father as i do as a senator. the notion that my kids are going to school with teachers that are armed with a weapon is

not something that, quite frankly, i'm comfortable with. beyond it, i think it has practical problems. and i'll share what they are. and this is really about the safety of the teachers as much as anything else. imagine in the middle of this crisis and the s.w.a.t. team comes into the building, and there's an adult with a weapon in their hands, and the s.w.a.t. team doesn't know who is he, and we have an additional tragedy that was unnecessary. and so i understand how some people are saying that, and i'm not belittling them, but as a father and as someone who has talked to plenty of teachers including the three in my family and the assistant principal in my family, i don't think that would be a good idea in my view. >> that was the first thing that happened when the s.w.a.t. team came in, the first question they asked is, is anybody injured and the following question is, does anybody have a gun. i wouldn't want to be the person saying yes, i do. >> i agree with you, yes, ma'am. [ applause ] >> senator nelson, president trump suggested earlier today that he thought arming teachers

might be an idea worth considering. do you think it is? [ audience reacts ] >> i think it is a terrible idea. [ cheers and applause ] you know, i was so impressed on the tv of the students, what they were saying to the president. and then the president comes out with suggestions like that. you heard what the superintendent said. he doesn't want to have to arm teachers. the sheriff came up with a suggestion that he's going to have a deputy that will be armed. but that deputy can't be in all of your buildings in a school of 3,000 students. it will help if it's a

deterrent, it's good, but if the weapon is a high caliber rapid fire assault weapon, it is hard to go into a fight against that if you've got just a handgun. that's not a fair fight. so get the assault weapons out. [ cheers and applause ] >> i want to bring in -- i want to bring in robert schentrup. robert lost his sister carmen in the shooting last week. she was 16. she was a national merit semifinalist. robert's question is for congressman deutch. robert? >> congressman deutch, today would have been carmen's 17th birthday. but sadly, we are having to celebrate her life instead of celebrating what a new year might bring.

my question is, if a majority of americans have long supported stricter gun control regulations but our elected officials who have supposed to represent the people have done nothing, does this mean that our democracy is broken? [ cheers and applause ] >> first of all, i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry for your loss. what you're doing here is celebrating her life. what you're doing in asking that question is honoring her memory. and let me answer -- let me be pretty straightforward about that. is our democracy broken? a little bit. a little bit, it is. and i'm going to tell you why. first of all, when it comes -- you said it's widely supported. there is a poll that came out

yesterday that showed that 97%, which when you add in the margin of error, is everyone in america, supports universal background checks. now -- so there -- look. i don't have a good answer for why something that's supported by 100% of the american people hasn't been passed. instead, look, there is a bill, there is a bill, senator rubio talked about the bill, the president talked about about this bill that's going to make sure that they're talking about expanding background checks, making sure that everyone complies with what needs to be in the background check. great. let's do that. but you know what else we need to do? make sure that every single person in america who buys a gun has a background check. and secondly, look, and this is a bigger issue, is our democracy broken? when any organization spends

tens of millions of dollars promoting the interests of gun corporations to influence what happens in our elections, then yes, our democracy is a little broken. [ cheers and applause ] but the way -- but here's -- here's the beauty, here's the beauty of our democracy. no matter how much money the nra spends on political campaigns, millions and millions of dollars spent trying to convince people that representing the interests of gun companies is more important than standing up for the safety of the people of america, no matter how much they spend, here's why our democracy is great, because everything we've seen, from the 3,300

survivors of marjory stoneman douglas, the leadership that has been shown is leading a movement that is so much stronger than money spent in political campaigns. that's why the democracy can be fixed and will be fixed. [ cheers and applause ] >> i want to bring in cameron caskey, he's a junior, and he has a question for senator rubio. cameron? [ cheers and applause ] >> i'm sorry, i know i'm not supposed to do this, but i'm not going to do that. it's hard to look at you, you're here and some people are not. i need to ask two things of you. number one, chris grady, can you stand up? this is my friend who is going to the military. i need you to tell him that he's going to live to make it to serve our country. and then we'll get to the other one. >> not only are you going to live to serve our country, you

and you and all of you have a chance to change our country. change not just our laws but the way we talk about our laws. so absolutely. >> thank you. and guys, look, this isn't about red and blue. we can't boo people because they're democrats and boo people because they're republicans. anyone who is willing to show change, no matter where they're from, anyone who is willing to start to make a difference is somebody we need on our side here. and this is about people who are for making a difference to save us and people who are against it and prefer money. so senator rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the nra in the future? [ cheers and applause ] >> i wish i could have -- i wish

i could have spoken -- i wished i could have asked the nra lady a question. i would ask her, how she can look in the mirror, considering the fact she has children, but maybe -- >> i'm sorry, what was that? >> i don't freaking know. >> the question is about nra money. >> number one, the position i hold on these issues is the position i held as i entered office in the city of west miami -- the answer to the question is that people buy into my agenda. and i do support the second amendment. and i also support the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe. and i do support any law that would keep guns out of the hands of a deranged killer, and that's why i support the things i have stood for and fought for -- >> more nra money? >> that -- that is the wrong way to look -- first of all, the answer is, people buy into my agenda -- >> you can say "no." >> well, i -- >> guys, come on, we're going to be here all night. >> the influence of these groups

comes not from money, the influence comes from the millions of people that agree with the agenda. and millions of americans that support the nra and who support gun rights -- >> all right, senator -- >> guys. >> guys -- >> cameron is having a conversation with senator rubio. let's let them talk. >> i respect -- you can ask that question and i can tell you that people buy into my agenda. i will answer any questions you guys have about any policy -- >> guys, be quiet, be quiet! we're going to be here all night. >> and i think that ultimately, that is not our goal here. our goal here is to move forward and -- >> wait, hold on. so right now in the name of 17 people, you cannot ask the nra to keep their money out of your campaign? >> i think in the name of 17 people, i can pledge to you that i will support any law that will prevent a killer like this -- >> no, i'm talking about nra money. >> no. no, because -- >> matter of fact, i bet we can get people in here to give you exactly as much money as the nra would have. >> but it's not -- i understand. and you're right. >> can you stand up if you're

with that? okay, not a lot, but we'll do it. i'll do it. we've raised quite a bit of money so far. >> you're right about that. there's money on both sides of every issue in america. and where that leaves us in policy making is look at the issues and make a decision on what we think is right. but ultimately, the first amendment is as important as the second. and therefore, you have every right to ask that question of me. and i'm here to tell -- >> i'll ask again. are you accepting money from the nra in the future? >> i will always accept the help of anyone who agrees with my agenda. but my agenda is also -- >> your agenda is protecting us, right? >> well, i'll give you an example this very evening. i have told you that i support lifting the age from 18 to 21 of buying a rifle. understanding, before i walked out here, that that organization is not in favor of that. but i think that's the right thing to do. i don't know what their position is on teachers being armed. but i don't think they should be, because i think that's what the right thing to do is. when i offered my bill to restrict people on the terrorist watch list or that have been on the list for the last ten years

from purchasing a question, they didn't take a stand -- they certainly didn't support my -- but i offered it. i will do what i think is right. and if people want to support my agenda, they're welcome to do so. but they buy into my ideas, i don't buy into theirs. >> so i knew that was going to happen. nra, please just keep the money out of rubio. if he wants to run again, you can -- >> thank you, cameron. appreciate it. stay with us, more survivors of the shooters at stoneman douglas high school stand up, next. [background noise]

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i we worked with pg&eof to save energy because wenie. wanted to help the school. they would put these signs on the door to let the teacher know you didn't cut off the light. the teachers, they would call us the energy patrol. so they would be like, here they come, turn off your lights! those three young ladies were teaching the whole school about energy efficiency. we actually saved $50,000. and that's just one school, two semesters, three girls. together, we're building a better california. ♪ welcome back to the bb&t center in florida and cnn's town hall with the students and family and faculty of stoneman douglas high school. next week, students are going to return to campus for the first time since the shooting.

our next question comes from first-year student, michelle lepido. she has a question for senator nelson. michelle? >> first, i want to start with, my school is not going to be just another statistic in the 18 shootings that happened this year. my school is going to be the last and the beginning of gun control. stoneman douglas is strong and will be heard, because our kids and our staff did not die for nothing. they died for change and they died for each other. their deaths will not be taken in vain, but as a calling for the change, gun control and safety in america. they're watching us from heaven and we are going to save what they died to protect. so i had a question for miss luge, but she's not here yet, so for her and the nra, which she's probably watching, and all of you puppet politicians that they are backing. was the blood of my classmates and my teachers worth your blood money? >> senator nelson, you don't

have to answer that question. let's move on to the next question. >> excuse me? i'm a student. i should -- >> i understand that, but your question -- i thought you were going to ask senator nelson a question. your question sounds like you want to ask dana a question in the next segment. and you can do that, if you want. >> it's actually fine. i had another question for you, senator nelson. so i'm going to have to go back to school, on to the same campus, the same building, to pick up my stuff, to resume my classes, to keep studying. and i'm never going to feel safe on another public school campus ever again. i never want to have to go through and feel like i'm putting myself in such a vulnerable situation ever, because that was one of the worst moments of my life. so why don't we consider the worst possible scenarios, because these things have been happening all around the country and it's more common than winning any lottery. why don't we assume the worst

situation, like we do on planes, where we have life vests in case we land in the ocean, or slides in case we need to do an emergency crash. why don't we we have kevlar vests in classrooms for our students? why don't we build our walls with kevlar, so that kids aren't being shot through their own walls, because they're so cheaply built? why don't we have more funding to protect ourselves? why do you guys protect yourselves with guns, protect yourselves with vests, and you protect america's children with nothing but drywall? >> and my answer is, why don't we get the assault rifles off the street? why don't we do the criminal background checks so that you have much more of a measure of security when you go to school. no, you shouldn't have to have kevlar vests. that's part of being in america and that's what your school board, your teachers, your

principal, they have done so effectively. is they try to protect you. and even stand in the way of bullets to protect you. that is not a fear that you should have. and although we are all grieving right now, this is a very tough time. there is a great strength that is coming out in the voices that are being spoken here. and you've got to let that strength overrule the fears. but, at the same time, you've got to continue to be strong and speak out. i said earlier, your hope gives me hope. your determination gives me more determination to see this through and get some common sense laws with regard to guns in america. >> thank you, senator.