why do we have to march on washington just to save innocent lives? >> if we truly want this to be the last time what you have done cannot end next month or next year. >> tell me you will work to do something about guns. >> right now congress is owned by the nra. >> you cannot ask the nra to keep the monday out of your campaign? >> there is no representative of the state of florida. our governor did not come here, but marco did. >> should be one school

shooting, and we should have fixed it. i'm pissed because my daughter i'm not going to see again. >> concealed carry for teachers. >> i don't believe teachers should be armed. i believe teachers should teach. >> we will not let the 17 beautiful souls do for nothing. we will not give up. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to your "new day". chris is in new york this morning. i'm alisyn camerota in parkland, florida for an amazing national conversation. last night was extraordinary here. the world watched this remarkable cnn townhall on guns and school safety. it took place exactly one week after the massacre that killed 17 people, mostly students at the school that you see behind me. so students and parents and teachers showed up at this townhall to confront their lawmakers as well as the national rifle association. republican senator marco rubio showed up and he faced his critics who are demanding

action. rubio also broke with some of the nra doctrine on guns. he supports raising the minimum age to buy rifles. he also said he would consider a ban on high-capacity magazines. he says he's been changed by this conversation and the event that is behind me. but he was asked very pointedly by one of the students in the arena. >> bravo to him for having the initiative, the leadership to show up. others would on not. governor scott wasn't there. people wouldn't come on this show to be tested about it. good for rubio. the question is, what will actually be done? the president did something unusual yesterday. we knew he was going to meet with survivors and families of school shootings, but it wasn't supposed to be public. the president invited cameras in. he wound up taking heat for floating an idea suggesting teachers should be armed as a

solution to the crisis facing our nation. but he also said he supports background check for gun purchases. that seems to be the sweet spot, the best chance for immediate change. and looking to raise the age to buy assault weapons. would that make a difference? we begin with dianne gallagher live this tallahassee, florida. dianne? >> reporter: chris, those were points made in discussions that were had at a cnn townhall. lawmakers were texting me. they were back on a bus going home to park land, watching the townhall on their phones. and they said in seeing that, this emotional tense 24 hours that have passed, they felt like perhaps their movement is starting to really make its mark. >> why do we have to speak out to the capitol? why do we have to march on washington just to save innocent

lives. >> republican senator marco rubio coming face-to-face with survivors of the high school massacre, defending his opposition to an assault weapon ban despite being heckled. >> your comments and that of the president have been pathetically weak. >> my daughter was shot in the back with an assault weapon. the weapon of choice. >> yes, sir. >> 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. >> rubio breaking with the nra on a number of key issues, announcing he supports raising the age requirement to buy a rifle from 18 to 21. and that he is reconsidering his support for large-capacity magazines. >> i do believe that in this instance it didn't -- it wouldn't have prevented the attack but would make it less lethal. >> this would only be obviously for people that are very adept

at handling a gun. it would be -- it's called concealed carry. a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. they would two for special training. and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone. >> the notion that my kids are going to school with a teacher armed with a weapon is not something quite frankly i'm comfortable with. >> one student grilling rubio on the $3.3 million he received from the nra over the career. >> can you tell me right now you will not accept a single donation from the nra? >> no. the answer to the question is people buy into my agenda, and i do support the second amendment. >> dana lash repeatedly stressed that enforcement of mental health laws, rather than new gun restrictions are the answer. >> none of us support people who are crazy, who are a danger to themselves, who are a danger to

others getting their hands on a firearm. i'm not just fighting for my kids. i'm fighting for you. i'm fighting for all of you. >> you just told this group of people that you are standing up for them. you are not standing up for them until you say i want less weapons. >> cnn's townhall followed an emotional listening session at the white house with students and families who have lost loved ones in school shootings telling president trump their stories. >> all the school shootings, it doesn't make sense. 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. >> i turned 18 the day after, woke up to the news that my best friend was gone. and i don't understand why i can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war.

>> consider your own children. you don't want to be me. no parent does. and you have the ability to make a difference and save lives today. please don't waste this. >> across the country, hundreds of students staging walkouts with the students of marjory stoneman douglas high school. outside florida state capitol, survivors demanding changes from state lawmakers. calling for a ban on assault-style weapons like the one used to kill 17 of their classmates and teachers. >> we stand for the people who were slaughtered like animals at school. >> help us so children don't fear for going to school. help us so mass shootings aren't inevitable. help us so children,

grandchildren after that don't have to march for their lives. >> reporter: now, the stone man douglas students did meet with governor scott yesterday afternoon. one of those, a senior, tells me she played a video inside the school. she asked the governor to close his eyes and listen to the screams and panic of the children and imagine those were his own children, his daughters. she said that the governor we have heard some of those tapes from the kids inside, some of those recordings. and they are -- it's just really unthinkable how affecting and gruesome it actually is. thank you for all of that reporting. as the country tries to figure out how to stop school shootings, the u.s. army is awarding it's medal of heroism to three of the students behind

me. they were cadets of the junior rotc program. joining us now are their friends and fellow cadets in the jrotc program. thank you both for being here. i want to talk about your friends in a minute. first, you were with the townhall last night. tell me what your takeaway was. what was the moment for you? >> my takeaway was that we have a voice, and we need to show our voice. it doesn't matter what you think, what you believe in. what i think is wrong or right, whether i think it is wrong or right, you make "the voice" heard. you make sure you are is supporting the cause. it doesn't make. make sure you have your voice heard. >> we heard students loud and clear last night. you all have found your voice. you are not on the same side of every single one of these issues, but you are all making your opinions heard. so what was it it for you? >> i agree that you have to make your voice heard. but i also took away that it has

been so many school shootings for people to finally make a movement this large. and i think that's really important that we make it heard. but i just don't understand why it had to be so many shootings. why does it have to be -- why does it have to be our school, any school. so i just want to know why there have been so many times there has been a school shooting and we haven't seen a movement this large. >> we heard that echoed from parents who loved their loved ones, their children. they said why are we having this conversation today? why didn't we have it a year ago, ten years ago. it feels woefully late. tell us all about your friends on junior rotc and who you lost. >> i personally lost two cadets in my company. we have six companies. bravo is my company. >> and you work closely with alaina petty and peter wang. >> yes. >> they were your close friends. >> yes.

i basically first day of school i had 30 kids and now i've lost two of my kids that i motivate and teach and have seen grow up into these cadets and that have goals to become cadets like me and maddie along with all our friends that have been speaking out. we're trying to change for them. >> what does that mean for you, madison, that you have lost alaina, your friend and fellow cadet. >> personally, i only knew alaina. she was on my color guard team, which i'm commander of. angelyse is now on our color guard. unfortunately we had to put somebody new into my team, the state flag position. so every time we marched, alaina was always right to my left. as we were marching on the field, i would look of and she's here. now i'm going to practice and she's not going to be there any

more. so it's horrible that she's gone now. >> how are you going to go back to school tuesday when it reopens? >> you have to be strong. i have 50 other companies. i have the largest company. so i have to be there for all of them. they are probably going through the same thing. and i'm their leader. >> are you prepared to go back? >> i'm taking it day by day. we have to be strong for each other and help each other get through this. both of us are leaders. so we have to make sure we can help our cadets get through it. we call them our cadets because we treat them like they're our kids because they look up to us. we have to mentor them to be amazing people. >> you all handle weapons, ceremoniously, of the nonlethal

wh variety. what do you think that the president seemed open to, arming teachers, letting teachers have guns. >> my mother is a teacher. and i don't think she could ever hold a gun. i don't think any teacher has a right to even decide like, okay, i want a gun. that's -- they're teachers. they're here to teach us. they are not here to defend us in mass ways. >> would that make you feel safer? >> i can see why people would want teachers to be armed in case such a horrible tragedy were to happen again. but at the same time, we don't need to be arming teachers. we're supposed to go to school to learn, no the to worry about if there is going to be another school shooting and how to take that down. i don't even know. it is such a controversial topic. but i don't think personally that they should arm teachers because we're at school to

learn. >> sure. i understand. teachers that we have talked to here last night they basically echoed the exact same thoughts. thank you very much for all that you do for your school and for being with us. >> thank you. chris? >> alisyn is, thank you very much. thousands of people at the cnn townhall. but that was still a relatively discreet group of super concerned people who want a specific kind of change. now the bigger reality. what will president trump, congress, and state lawmakers actually do, especially once the passion fades? joining us now is cnn political director david challian. some people are saying stop calling rubio brave. showing up last night and facing the questions is not easy. we know that because a lot of lawmakers won't do that. governor scott wasn't there. ryan and mcconnell, as we off say on the show? you hear that? that's them saying nothing about

what they'll do on this. fair point him showing up mattered? >> i think so. he knew he was going into an environment hostile to his views on these issues. he fully understood that. he also obviously came prepared with new thinking, raising the age requirement for getting an assault style weapon. saying he would consider the high-capacity magazine issue. it's not as if he rescinded his nra membership. he certainly said he didn't do anything about ruling out taking future money for them or having them spend on his behalf. but going into is that arena and showing up like that, i think it is two things. one, it's a leadership moment. these are his constituents. he is the senator that represents them. and clearly he felt some responsibility to be there and take these questions. but, two, he's also, i think, trying to show that there could be some movement in his party on this issue that there is a way

for republicans maybe to respond to this other than just a hard line no. >> now, he actually said that last night. he used a procedural mechanism. he said monday we could try anonymous consent. listen to this for a second. >> on monday, when we return to washington, d.c., we will try to do this thing called unanimous consent. unless any senator objects, it passes a law to fix the background check. i believe there are 60 votes to ban bump stocks. i believe we could potentially have 60 votes at the federal level to change from 18 to 21 on the purchase of any rifles. >> all right. so unanimous consent. is that something that's possible but not probable? he thinks they have enough votes in the senate. what are the realities? >> it is possible. but you just mentioned before the deafening silence we're hearing from mitch mcconnell and paul ryan. i do think, chris, if you want to understand where is this debate going, have the politics on guns really changed in

washington? watch paul ryan and mitch anything connell. watch to see if they -- because so far they have not indicated this is a new priority item. they are clearing the decks of other stuff to take care of this. it is an election year. that cuts both ways, obviously. you want to make sure your base is energized but you also understand at least on the house side a lot of the competitive districts, chris, they're in suburban communities. a lot of college educated voters. the very kind of voters who are responding to this moment on this issue. and yet you don't want to completely abandon your base that single issue voters. >> even if the quinnipiac poll is close, it would seem to suggest that the best waugh forward, if you want to see something change, is background checks. yes, the assault weapon ban is 66 66-29.

other polls it is higher. it is closer to 50/50. the background checks, the president seized on that for a reason. we are hearing that discussed. is that the best chance for progress? >> i think -- and you just heard what he was saying about unanimous concept. this first notion of this cornyn-murphy bill ensuring what is already on the books actually gets implemented properly, making sure that happens, yes, that to me seems like a possible move forward. whether we're going to get background checks in the way that maybe the manchin-toomey bill a few years ago. will he clear the decks and say, this is a priority. >> he has an existing bill in the senate right now that has some support that shores up the background system. we'll see where that goes. all right. another issue that may be on the table. a big part of this equation, yes, guns.

yes, with school shootings. mental illness, unchecked mental illness and how you screen and restrict access. and how you fortify schools. here's what the president recommended. >> and this would only be obviously for people that are very adept at handling a gun. and it would be called concealed carry where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them. they would go for special training. and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone. >> now, more guns in schools is the basic category. we know the teachers union is against this. anecdotally people say teachers teach. they're not commandos. the president said there would be specific training, but that's extra money. teachers are buying books for their students. do you think that is likely to happen? >> i don't. i think you heard marco rubio

sort of dismiss that in the townhall. >> what about more armed guards, metal detectors? >> i think so. school safety conversation. i don't think the left is going for armed teachers. clearly, as you said -- >> how about local law enforcement, retired veterans, people who are trained? >> i think you will see democrats that want to engage on the school safety side of the conversation. i have no doubt about that. >> david chalian, appreciate the insight. who knows better than you. alisyn. chris, of the massacre in the school that you see behind me and this national conversation that we're now having, what will lawmakers do when they return to capitol hill? congressman today deutsche represents this city. he will answer that next. ...at t-mobile. was a success for lastchoicehotels.comign badda book. badda boom. this year, we're taking it up a notch.

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cnn's townhall brought together students, parents, teachers, lawen, forcement, lawmakers and nra to try to find

solutions and hash all of this out. as you can imagine, there were some contentious moments. >> and i just ask, are you in favor of banning any gun that can do what the ar-15 can do? yes or no? >> i am in favor doctor senator rubio, if you have a concern about something -- let me just answer this question because it's important. >> it is. that's the whole debate. >> the answer to the question is do i support banning weapons that fire off 150 bullets, that serve no purpose other than killing the maximum number of people they can, you bet i am. >> okay. >> and there you go. let's bring in democratic congressman ted deutsch. thank you for last night. >> thanks for coming to florida and thank you for giving these students and grieving families.

>> what did you take away from it? >> at first it was so important for this community that is still grieving to know that the discussion is not going to end right now. we have seen these students that have so bravely come forward to lead the effort to change the laws, make sure something like this never happens again. but to give them the opportunity to come together. the entire students, the faculty, the administrators, and have a conversation and say what's on their mind and what they're feeling, that was is so moving. >> obviously we all believe in conversation and its healing power and moving the conversation forward. >> when you go back to washington, d.c. inside the beltway, what happens? are there changes now? >> well, certainly -- i have been here since just after the shooting. from my perspective in the middle of this, i don't know how there could be changes.

but i understand for a lot of people this is just one more mass shooting and they're going to hope it goes away and they don't have to think about it any more. what you saw last night in the students and the questions asked by grieving parents was the opportunity to confront this head on. this is not a group that is going to remain silent. and so there are pieces of legislation that have overwhelming support. >> is your speaker going to bring it up? >> my sense is that he would prefer not to. if he cared about these issues, we wouldn't have had to wait until after 17 of my constituents were slaughtered here in parkland to go forward. there are lots of reasons to go forward. the difference is there is a

sense that the gun lobby is not all powerful. you saw last night the way they stood up to the gun lobby. combine that with the fact -- i listened to some of what was just on your network. they talk about single issue voters. what happened here in our community and what happened last night as created a lot of single issue voters. and they care about gun safety. >> let's talk about senator marco rubio. hats off to him for showing up. he's the person who took the most heated barbed questions coming at him. he's republican. he has seemed in the past dug in on some of these positions. in fact, right after the shooting he said pass whatever laws you want but nothing is going to change. he seemed to change. in fact, he admitted his own thinking had been changed by what happened here. and he gave on a few different things he said he would rethink the sale of high capacity mag

reasons. magazines. moving the age to buy rifles from 18 to 21. emergency protection orders like we have seen in connecticut. what did you think? >> i think that's terrific. but on high-capacity magazines, for example, he is going to rethink them? do we -- this is terrible. this is a horrific tragedy. is there just now enough information to know someone doesn't need to be able to off 35 rounds in a magazine.

of course i want to be a partner. i welcome that. but so much needs to get done. so much of it has overwhelming support. we should do it right away. we don't need task forces. >> you think the time for thinking is over. the president just tweeted. you and i will read this for the first time. i never said give teachers guns like was stated on fake news cnn and nbc. what i said was to look at the possibility of giving concealed guns to gun adept teachers with

military or special training experience only the best. 20% of teachers, a lot, would now be able to. i think that's fair. yeah, i don't think he said give every single teacher a gun. what do you think about giving the most adroit a gun. >> i think we need more security in the schools, we should have more security in the schools. >> what does that look like? >> school districts will have to make that determination. >> but the president thinks it means teachers trained being armed. >> we heard senator rubio acknowledge, it doesn't help when someone -- he didn't put it this way. but i think he would acknowledge when someone marches down the hallway with an ar-15, having a couple other teachers there with guns isn't the answer. and when first responders show up as one of the teachers pointed out last night, teachers don't want to be in the position of having to defend the fact that they're not the shooter. >> and they are trying to figure out who is who.

congressman, thank you for being part of this conversation. we're sorry for your district but obviously we are all inspired by these kids and the strength they're showing. >> thanks for being down here. >> chris? >> alisyn, thank you very much. many in the audience at the cnn townhall supported a ban on semiautomatic weapons. even though there were thousands there last night, is that really reflective of widespread opinion? this conversation will only lead to action if people who are staunch gun advocates want change as well. let's bring in that side of the conversation next. don't we need that cable box to watch tv? nope. don't we need to run? nope. it just explodes in a high pitched 'yeahhh.' yeahhh! try directv now for $10 a month for 3 months. no satellite needed.

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>> how now is an 18-year-old with an assault weapon regulated? >> he shouldn't have been able to get a firearm. he should have been barred from getting a firearm. he should not have been able to. >> that is nra spokesman dana

loesch. she said this guy shouldn't have been taoeubl bable to buy a gun. they accept rules changes that would keep someone his age or his health status from getting a gun. joining us now is charles c.w. cook, editor for the national review online. charles, just so people understand, you have spoken extensively about your feelings about the defense of the second amendment, its application to this. you and i got sideways online yesterday. it made me realize, man, this fighting has got to stop. we have to have a conversation where everybody is involved. otherwise, nothing is going to change. so thank you for taking the invitation. let's start with that question, charles. dana said he shouldn't have been able to buy a gun. that means, what, by age you would change eligibility for him to get a weapon? or because of his treatment and track record, even though he wasn't adjudicated mentally ill or had a criminal record, he would have been somehow

disqualified? how do you explain what she said? >> i don't know exactly what dana meant. i haven't spoken to her about this. i certainly think given what was known about in man and indeed what students who are victims said afterwards, namely, they saw this coming, that it was predictable. they knew immediately that it was him that it would be a good thing to introduce some sort of system where people who are on the radar are of their peers and of the authority. this guy seemed to have been contacted 37 times, tips that went to the fbi. it would have been good if we had some sort of system in place wherewith very robust due process authorities could investigate. and if they found that there was a problem, do something. >> that's the trick, though, right, charles? doesn't currently exist. you need to be adjudicated

mentally ill or you have to have involuntary commitment. or obviously criminal background. so where would the resistance come from on that? do you think republicans? staunch gun rights advocates would be okay with whether it's a doctor or a family member or some kind of quick article 78 proceeding, some quick judgment assessment that this person has, whatever the criteria are. do you think that's something gun rights advocates would accept? >> i think it would depend entirely on how it was written. my colleague david french wrote a very good piece on this arguing in favor. but of course with some caveats. the second amendment is not the only provision in the bill of rights that should be on it. >> right. >> and now there is due process. >> right. >> especially when it comes to enumerated constitutional right. so if this was written by people who want genuinely to ensure that dangerous people are put onto the radar and dealt with

rather than people who want to use it as a back door to get rid of or undermine the second amendment, i think there could be. >> you're open to that. it's a good thing to know and good for people to hear. when people hear about expanding at all people who could be restricted access of weapons, there is reflexive resistance. on that broader issue of background checks, are you in favor of making all sales subject to background checks and are you in favor of seeing the rules of who has to report and what information and what the penalties are if you don't report it, tightened up? >> i'm certainly in favor of introducing more information into the background check system. it seems to be a bipartisan bill ready to go on that. i'm not quite sure why it hasn't, but i think it should. there isn't a great deal of evidence that background checks enter is secretary with mass shootings. almost all seem to buy their guns legally. there is also not a great deal

of evidence. recent studies out of washington and colorado show background checks do a great deal when applied to private sales. in large part because you can't determine ahead of time where those sales take place because they are private. they're not commercial. the government regulates commercial gun sellers. >> right. >> i think in a sense this is something of a red herring. it comes up every time. the argument in favor of extending back ground checks is much stronger when it comes to crime in general. >> right. >> perhaps to suicide than it is here. >> right. >> and one reason -- >> but those matter too, charles. that's why i bring it up. >> they do. >> we're focused on school shootings. 1% of overall gun crime. there is a much bigger issue. i don't know why there would be resistance especially for lawful people. why wouldn't you have all sales applicable to a background check? >> well, the first argument, this is always good to remember when government gets involved, whether the war on terror or drugs. as i say, there isn't a great

deal of evidence that it works or that sheriffs prioritize it in states that have them. second reason is that as it has been suggested thus far, it would effectively create a gun registry. and gun registries are opposed i think for good reason why those who have -- >> but you already have it for the majority of sales. this would be making it in all transactions. why create a loophole when you don't need one. i just don't understand a good argument against it. >> as i said, a good argument against it is recent studies conducted it should be said by gun control advocates and written up by gun control advocates. if we're trying to improve the situation on the ground here, then that doesn't seem to me to be the way to do it. >> and the argument for it would be you might as well try whatever you can because you have so many guns getting into the wrong sets of hands. go ahead. make your final point. >> well, i think, you see,

that's where we have to be careful here. because there is this argument in the aftermath of mass shootings. we saw an awful lot of it in an unhelpful townhall held at the wrong time. you see in this argument you have to do something. we don't all agree we have to do anything. marco rubio is against arming teachers. >> he did say he would do certain things. >> no, i agree. just saying why don't we just do something, why don't we try that, there's nothing to lose is not a standard across the board. >> not arbitrary things. absolutely. >> why do you say arbitrary? >> charles, we agree. you should do things that are calculated to make a real difference and base it on debate and data and research in the area. there is no question about that. no reason just to throw out any kind of solution that will work. but at the end of the day, it's

a debate worth having. we need all sides. and i appreciate you being here. take it easy on me on twitter. i will see you there after we do this segment. i'll take silence as acceptable. thanks for charles cook being with us. look, you have to have everybody involved in the conversation. you like some ideas. you won't like others. if it's not a conversation that includes anybody, be we will get nowhere. the past is prologue. all right. another tostory we have to tell you about. horror in syria. the latest in a live report next. dial your binge-watching up to eleven. for a limited time, get four unlimited lines for thirty-five bucks each. woah. and with netflix included, you can watch on any screen. prrrrrrr... ...at t-mobile.

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syria's rebel-held eastern region is being called hell on earth. a fierce bombing campaign by syrian government forces has killed hundreds of people including at least 70 children. the air strikes are so relentless, people are being forced underground. cnn's ben wedeman is live with the latest. ben, what do we know? >> reporter: chris, what we know so far is at least 13 people have been killed so far today. we've just gotten a report that another five killed in this bombardme bombardment, four of those five apparently women. now, we must warn viewers, however, that as we talk about this situation, the images are very disturbing, and we do know

that there are moves afoot by the united nations to bring into effect some sort of 30-day humanitarian cease-fire to allow in desperately needed relief supplies and to evacuate people who need urgent medical care. yesterday, the american ambassador to the united nations said this, it's time to take immediate action in the hope of saving the lives of the women, men and children who are under attack by the barbaric assad regime. that's nikki haley. we are seeing a report from the associated press that the russians are also expressing their favor for some sort of humanitarian cease-fire. however, with the condition that it does not include isis or al qaeda-linked groups. alisyn. >> ben, thank you very much for keeping us up to speed on the horror that's happening there. so back here in parkland, of course, you've probably heard of

this geography teacher, scott beigel. he died while saving his students in this massacre. his mom was at the debate last night and put the nra spokesperson in the hot seat. that mom is here next. with the united mileageplus explorer card, you'll get a free checked bag. two united club passes. priority boarding. and earn fifty thousand bonus miles after you spend three thousand dollars on purchases in the first three months from account opening plus, zero-dollar intro annual fee for the first year, then ninety-five dollars. learn more at theexplorercard.com on the only bed that adjusts on both sides to your ideal comfort, your sleep number setting. does your bed do that? right now, our queen c2 mattress is only $699, save $200. ends sunday. visit sleepnumber.com for a store near you.

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and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the only electric toothbrush brand accepted by the american dental association for its effectiveness and safety. my mouth feels so clean. i'll only use an oral-b. oral-b. brush like a pro. his life to save students during the massacre at marjory stoneman douglas was geography teacher scott beigel. last night his mother attended the town hall. she asked a tough question to nra spokesperson dana loesch. >> why are my son's rights not protected as fiercely as the right to bear arms? >> i think all life should be protected, all life should be protected. that's why next week there's going to be good guys with guns

that are going to be in school protecting lives, just as there's armed security here. we are in the presence of firearms protecting lives. this isn't a, if you believe in your right to self-defense, you hate kids, or if you believe in your right to self-defense, you don't believe people have the right to live. that's not what this issue is. this issue is about making sure we're protecting innocent lives. no innocent lives should be lost. none of them should. >> joining us now is scott beigel's mother linda beigel schulman. thank you so much for being there last night and being here with us today. >> thank you for having me. >> was that a satisfying answer to you? what were your impressions after you asked the nra that question? >> i think she skirted the issue. if she does her research, she'll find out that the weapons they

had back then probably took 30 minutes to load, could not get through the door, they were so big and cumbersome. if you look them up online -- i'm not positive. i think one is called a belton and another one starts with a p. my 18-year-old nephew kyle was so incensed by her answer, he actually texted me with the facts about the weapons that she was talking about. they don't hold a candle to the assault weapons that we have today. >> listen, obviously we're having a national conversation for this past week ever since the massacre right behind me. i understand your son's classroom was right over our shoulder. >> it was. >> we can see it from where we're standing. of course, conversation is good, but it's not enough. what do you want to see happen now? >> i think last night i think the senators and the congressmen, i think it was great that they were there. the phrase put your money where your mouth is, it's not about money.

they should put their actions wi where their mouth is instead of money. i would like to see them act on what they said last night. >> your feeling is that laws need to be changed, not just gun laws, other laws. >> absolutely. scott and i talked about this a lot, about the money aspect. it's funny you asked me that question prior. we had many conversations. i honestly believe, yes, things have to be done. we have to take a stand. parkland, the administrators, the students, the teachers, this is my family now. parkland is my family. i will do whatever it is that they ask me to do. i would never do anything to hurt them. i am with them, and we will go forward together. but i think that it's more than that. i think the government -- people in the government, whether it's all the way from the president down to anybody who is elected, i think there should be one pot

of money, one amount of money. scott and i talked about this all the time. one pot of money, everybody depending on what office they're going for should have the same amount of money. >> i think what you're talking about is campaign finance laws so it takes some of the power out of the nra's contributions. >> that's perfect. you say it better than i. i'm still grappling for words. that's what we should do. we would not be having this conversation. if it all were equal, nobody could see any different except for the fact weapons need to be controlled. >> speaking of your parkland family, we have a surprise for you. we want to bring in kelsey friend. she was one of your son's students. and i don't know if you heard her linda, on our air. kelsey spoke so beautifully about what scott, your son, meant to her. can you tell his mom what your geography teacher meant to you? >> mr. beigel is and forever

will be my hero. you know. he had -- i don't have words. he was amazing. i miss him like crazy. every moment that goes by, either i'm thinking about his silly jokes or the way he laughed or his smile or just the way he taught me. as a student, i don't really say i love my teachers as much, but mr. beigel, i will stand here proudly and say i love my teicher. he is one of those teachers that actually explained something to you. that's what hooked me into his class. he'd sit there and explain it and we would be like, oh, that's what he means. i'll never forget that. he is amazing. i miss him like crazy. >> linda, what's it like for you to hear the impact your son had on his students? >> it's my son.

it's amazing. it doesn't surprise me. that's the way scott was. he loved teaching. he loved teaching. he loved getting through. i just hope wherever he is -- and i wish i knew -- wherever he is, i hope he understands that he did get through. he really got through. kelsey's promise that she would call me on her way home from school every day the way scott used to call me and let me know what's going on, and we're going to keep in touch forever. >> that's so beautiful. kelsey, not only was he a wonderful teacher to you, and i think you've captured that really beautifully, you think he saved your life? >> i 100% think he saved my life. if it wasn't for him, i might not be here right now. >> what did he do? >> he tried closing the door, and he didn't survive afterwards. >> because he was at the door. he let all of you, he stood at the door, he made sure you all got in and stood at the door and

basically was a shield. he didn't survive the gunman's bullet. >> yes. >> what do you think of that, when you hear what your son did in saving the students' lives? >> it just doesn't surprise me that scott -- that's life the way it's supposed to be lived by scott. scott would do that, and especially for his students, because those are his students. >> how did you raise him so well? >> i think we raised each other. i think he raised me and i raised him. i think that's how it went. >> let's face it. before this tragedy, you didn't -- is it fair to say you didn't know that much about marjory stoneman douglas high school. you had to really get up to speed on what the students were like here fast? >> scott was so humble. unfortunately the night we drove in, when i looked at the school, i couldn't believe it. i had no idea -- you could have thought scott was