still got it. (whistle blows) your money never stops working for you with merrill, a bank of america company. the shooter was able to make entry into a classroom, barricade himself inside that classroom and, again, just began shooting numerous children and teachers that were in that classroom, having no regard for human life, just a complete evil person. >> our kids are living in fear every single time they set foot in a classroom because they think they're going to be next. what are we doing? >> as a nation we have to ask, when in god's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? when in god's name we do what we

know needs to be done? >> this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington. it's devastating. another school shooting. 19 children, two teachers, 21 families suffering unspeakable losses. the worst school shooting in texas history and the nation's deadliest mass shooting since the sandy hook tragedy a decade ago. the victims, teachers and four of the 19 children identified as fourth graders. a devastating loss for their families, their community. 10-year-old xavier lopez's mother told "the washington post" her son was funny, never serious and his smile, that smile i will never forget. she said it will always cheer anyone up. and young jose flores receiving

an award for making honor roll hours before the shooting. the 18-year-old gunman from the area shot his grandmother tuesday morning. then crashed his car before running into the school. the question, will the senate do anything this time when it's done nothing for decades? joining me now, nbc's morgan chesky, a neighbor there in texas, you grew up near there in uvalde today and pete williams and kristin welker. morgan, you played high school football against the uvalde high school team. how is that community you know so well reacting to this unspeakable tragedy? >> reporter: andrea, it's a painful process that is just beginning. this community of about 15,000 people on the edge of the texas hill country is absolutely gutted. they are heartbroken because, like so many other communities in america, thought they were safe. until they were not. we are standing outside uvalde

high school. this is where in a few moments we anticipate hearing from texas governor greg abbott, senators ted cruz and john cornyn, speaking today about this school shooting. yet another school shooting that leaves 19 second, third and fourth graders dead and two teachers. not too far away from where i'm standing, this investigation is just getting started, andrea. a massive perimeter has surrounded robb elementary school. investigators there, dozens if not hundreds gathering every piece of evidence they can to try to learn more about what led to this horrific tragedy. gathering any sort of potential evidence they could to learn about a motive with this 18-year-old gunman whose killing spree began when he shot his own grandmother before authorities say he drove to the school, ditched his vehicle and walked inside where he opened fire. we are learning more about the moments following that gunfire, andrea. an off-duty border patrol officer entered the school along with two sheriff's deputies.

they engaged the gunman. they were responsible in bringing this shooting to an end when they shot and killed him inside the school. according to texas dps, all of the victims have now been brought out of the school. one of the heartbreaking images i have seen so far was as i left late last night and pulled out on one of the main streets, i noticed two cars pulled out ahead of me. they were two hearses. that has become an all too familiar sight here in this small town left reeling and struggling on how to move forward. andrea? >> morgan, i know you had a tough day, a tough night. hope you are taking care of yourself. pete, what kind of federal assistance are they getting down in texas today? take us through what law enforcement is trying to do. >> massive federal assistance. the investigation is in the hands of the texas authorities, but the fbi, atf and other officials are helping out. we know more now about some of

the facts around the case, which are looking at people questioning neighbors of the grandmother who authorities say was shot by ramos before he went to the school. one of the questions was, why did he choose that school? i've not talked to anybody who thinks they have a good answer to that question. there was some initial suspicion that perhaps he just chose the school as a target of opportunity, just moments before it happened, because he crashed his car into a ditch near the school. authorities now seem to believe that he did, in fact, target the school. there's some suggestion he posted threatening messages on social media about an elementary school just before the attack. in terms of the weapons, he bought right after he turned 18, he bought two ar-15-style weapons, what some people call assault rifles. he bought them legally because under federal and state law, you can buy a long gun as soon as

you turn 18. ironically, you can't buy a handgun until you are 21. one is a smith and wesson. the other is a daniel defense, a smaller firearms maker. he didn't carry both of them into the school according to investigators. he actually dropped one on the ground outside his crashed vehicle. he carried a backpack into the school that had some additional magazines in it. apparently, he dropped that on the ground before he went into the classroom. he did buy these weapons legally. one of them had a laser-aided sight on them. it doesn't project out a dot, but it allows much more accurate aiming. if that's the rifle that he took into the classroom, that could help explain why this was such a lethal attack. we don't know which of the two, the daniel defense rifle had the laser-aided sight on it.

we don't know which of the two, we're trying to figure out which of the two he took into the classroom, andrea. still a great mystery about why he chose that school. authorities say so far, they don't know of any connection. it doesn't sound like he attended that school. that's something we are looking into. >> pete williams. kristin welker, i want to play more of a powerful speech, the president learned about this flying back from tokyo. when he got to the white house, gave this speech. >> what struck me was these kinds of mass shootings rarely happen anywhere else in the world. why? they have mental health problems. they have domesticputes in other countries. they have people who are lost. but these kinds of mass shootings never happen with the

kind of frequency they happen in america. why? why are we willing to live with this carnage? why do we keep letting this happen? where in god's name is our backbone? it's time to turn this pain into action. for every parent, every citizen of this country, we have to make it clear to every elected official in this country, it's time to act. >> you know that he as vice president was the point person after sandy hook for president obama. this is something that he has been dealing with for years and years. today, there's no sense at all that the senate is going to act. >> reporter: you are right, andrea. you raise sandy hook, which i think is instrumental. because ten years ago, when sandy hook happened, former president obama, then vice president biden tried to tackle this issue.

at the time, there was legislation that they were trying to push that would have expanded background checks, something that is supported by more than 80% of americans. it didn't pass congress. you remember, andrea, i remember we were both reporting on that day when former president obama called it a shameful day in washington. now here we are again. we know that chuck schumer has indicated he wants to try to revive two house-backed bills that would expand background checks. it's not clear that's going to move forward imminently or there's any realistic chance that that could get passed. we know that lawmakers are trying to discuss ways to potentially find some common ground on the issue. if you listen to what we heard overnight, andrea, from lawmakers, you are reminded of just how far apart both sides are. you have democratic senator chris murphy, who, of course, represents the sandy hook community, literally begging his colleagues to take some type of

action on gun control. on the other hand, you have republican senator ted cruz saying that the answer is to enhance funding of law enforcement, not to impose new gun measures. that's where the divide is. it has just been impossible for them to find common ground. it was just a week ago that president biden visited buffalo, a community ravaged by gun violence, ten people killed there, in a racist attack. he called on congress to re-enact the assault weapons ban, which was, of course, passed in 1994 when biden was a senator. he was instrumental in that. it expired in 2004. in this current congress, there's no indication that that would have any chance of even having a slight chance of getting through congress, much less getting debated. i think that is where this debate stands. it's one we have seen over and over again. it's worth noting, andrea, that later today president biden is going to be marking another grim anniversary. two years since george floyd's

death. of course, he was the black man who died when a minneapolis police officer knelt on him. he is going to sign an executive order aimed at dealing with policing and restricting things like chokeholds and no knock warrants. the president has said that executive orders only go so far. whether you are dealing with something like george floyd's death or a mass shooting, the president, the white house, lawmakers acknowledge there needs to be legislative ackrist chesky, pete williams, thank you to you. huck schumer started pushing senators to act on gun safety measures as the two house-backed background checks have not gotten to the floor for a vote because of the filibuster. here is more from chris murphy's plea on the floor. >> what are we doing? what are we doing?

just days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down african american patrons, we have another sandy hook on our hands. what are we doing? more mass shootings than days in the year. our kids are living in fear. every single time they set foot in a classroom because they think they are going to be next. what are we doing? >> joining me now is connecticut democratic senator richard blumenthal, a member of the judiciary committee. senator, you heard your colleague. this has become a ritual for decades, horror after horror, mass shootings, and nothing gets done. senator schumer said he is not making plans to put this on the floor, the background checks. he doesn't have the votes. he wants a bipartisan agreement. let me share reporting from the chief producer on the hill. he spoke to a dozen senators

this morning. it's clear that the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004, feinstein got it passed in 1994, and they let it expire after ten years, and that is not going to be passed, that republicans are not coming on board, there doesn't seem to be any plan for the filibuster to be suspended and sinema stopped and chatted, which is unusual for her, she chatted with reporters, and said about filibuster, d.c. solutions aren't realistic here. if d.c. solutions aren't realistic, what is a solution? >> we are in conversations, andrea. this horror has brought back all of the memories of sandy hook when we were there and parents learned that their children, 20 beautiful children at sandy hook were not coming home.

i can only think of the unimaginable pain and grief that these parents are facing. we need to keep them in mind at this moment of anxiety, anguish, anger. my colleagues, i think, have been moved, at least some of them, in a way i haven't seen in years before. i'm talking to colleagues about a bill that i have helped to lead, a red flag statute bill that would separate people from their firearms when they are dangerous to themselves or others, when they threaten to kill children in a school, as the parkland shooter did, or commit suicide as half the shootings involve. i am hopeful, because i have to have hope, that we can make some progress here. ten of my republican colleagues will join us in a red flag statute or an expansion of background checks, such as extending those checks to all sales, including gun shows and

internet sales, and closing thei introduced. >> as you know, better than i, the republicans have been in lockstep against gun laws. here is how ted cruz reacted last night. >> there's no doubt we need to do more to keep children in schools safe. we know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus. when there's a murder of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it. you see democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens. >> there's nothing in the constitution at all about assault weapons. it's not the media and democrats, quote, politicizing it, if ted cruz is talking about

arming teachers. will arming teachers do any good? there were plenty of law enforcement people on that campus yesterday. they couldn't stop a determined shooter with an assault -- with what appears to be something like an assault weapon. >> that's right, andrea. if this tragedy doesn't crystallize your sense of conscience, then you are putting guns above children. that's what i would say to colleagues who are ducking their obligation to vote on real gun violence prevention. law enforcement believes that arming teachers would increase the danger of potential tragedy. the fact that there were human resource officers in this school shows that we need to take action before the shooting starts, not after this kind of apparently somewhat deranged person suffering from perhaps

mental health issues took this gun and committed this atrocity. separating that person from a gun before he approached the school is the opportunity, a moment of potential separation of that gun from that individual that we should provide in the law is available. strengthen those laws, like red flag statutes or background checks that potentially stop the gun violence before it starts, not relying on more guns in schools. >> just to point out that according to our reporting, there were law enforcement people there trying to shoot through and get to him. but they were -- the construction was concrete rocks. there was no way to break in that they could break through and get in in time before he got into that classroom.

>> we don't know all the circumstances here. we will learn a lot more from the investigation. there's no question that every one of these measures can help save lives. that's the important point to remember, that red flag statute, background checks, ghost gun ban, safe storage like ethan's law, domestic violence orders that preclude estranged husbands or partners from committing violence with guns, every one of them and more can help save individual lives. we need to move forward on one or more of them as soon as possible. that's what we are hearing from our constituents. the vast majority of americans across the country want sensible, common sense measures that are fully consistent with the second amendment and will continue to permit law abiding citizens from having guns as is their right. >> senator richard blumenthal

from connecticut, thank you very much. yet again, as america mourns the innocent lives lost at robb elementary, frustration and outrage grow. coming up, fred guttenberg whose daughter was killed in parkland, florida, he joins us with his message for our nation's leaders. first a state senator who represents uvalde speaking earlier with us. >> this morning, i hugged my daughters before they went off to school. i started thinking about the 19 parents that weren't going to send their kids off to school anymore. this is where we are at. this is where we are at in this country. it's not right. it's not right. not right a-plus.

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just hours after the texas

shooting, golden state warriors coach steve kerr head a meeting. he was meeting with reporters in dallas. he did not wait to speak about basketball, instead slamming the senate for not acting on an issue that he has spoken out about before. >> when are we going to do something! i'm tired. i'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. i'm so tired of the -- i'm sorry. i'm tired of the moments of silence. enough! there's 50 senators right now who refuse to vote on hr-8, a background check rule that the house passed a couple years ago. it's been sitting there for two years. there's a reason they won't vote on it. to hold on to power. >> joining me now is fred guttenberg whose daughter was killed in parkland, florida,

along with 16 others. fred, your reaction? do you understand his frustration? >> listen. thank you, steve. i do. i watched the clips that you showed earlier of ted cruz and what you said about sinema. if this isn't a d.c. solution, senator sinema, then go ahead, i'm okay with you making yourself irrelevant. go home. as for senator cruz, stop your bs. i have listened to you say it before. the truth is this, senator cruz. four days after the sandy hook shooting, you said, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. the police officer was shot and killed in buffalo. because of you, senator cruz.

we have the shooting in your home state yesterday where law enforcement was outgunned because of you, senator cruz. you are intending to go to the nra convention in texas, because that really is ultimately who you are and what you are about. go home, senator cruz. 90% of the american people want to do something. go make yourself irrelevant. go on a trip. go home. we don't need you. we need to get this done, andrea. we can't keep doing things the same way. >> what do you say to texas governor abbott? he is supposed to go to the nra convention in texas. it is their headquarters. they ran from new york state because the attorney general there was suing them for all kinds of alleged financial irregularities. a civilian suit. they moved their headquarters to texas. the texas state laws was

loosened last year. governor abbott tweeted, shaming texas in 2015, for coming in second in gun sales. that went viral overnight. what do you say to the governor? >> i think the governor -- i blame the governor, too. these people -- listen. 90% of the american people feel differently than governor abbott or senator cruz for a reason. when governor abbott was shaming texans into buying more guns, he owns responsibility as well for what just happened. when they changed the laws in texas this year, they made it now more likely that someone will buy a gun who we know nothing about, may even openly carry it, will have no training for it, who may, in fact, want to kill you and that is okay now in texas. you know what? i say to governor abbott,

there's an election coming up. i think you are going to get fired. >> let me just ask you about jamie. beautiful jamie. she was gunned down. you confronted floor senator marco rubio then at a cnn town hall, calling for an assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004. let's watch. >> if i believe that law would have prevented this from happening, i would support it. i want to explain to you why it would not. >> senator rubio, my daughter, running down the hallway was shot in the back with an assault weapon. the weapon of choice. it is too easy to get. it's a weapon of war. the fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that, i'm sorry. >> former president trump has confirmed i'm told that he will

be at that nra meeting on friday in texas. >> that's who they are. listen, the amazing thing about that clip with rubio, i wasn't even calling for a ban. i was calling for him to acknowledge, we need to make it harder. i just wanted him to use the word gun. he wouldn't even do that. you know, andrea, just maybe, maybe it's time for us to acknowledge that there is a common theme here. there's a block of people in our senate who ultimately have blocked any kind of legislation from taking place. mitch mcconnell has been a common thread in all of it. marco rubio will get fired as well this year. i think we need to now put the lives of those we love above all else. if they won't, then you know

what? there is an election coming up. i get it. this is going to require a political solution. talking is done. they don't listen. i spent three years ago an hour with ted cruz begging and pleading and having a rational conversation. over the three years since, he has gone on to mock the idea of doing anything. let's send him home. we don't need him. the house will pass the legislation. the president will sign it. you have 50 members in the senate who will do it as well. let's just finally finish this work, because you know what? if we don't, it's going to happen again. i was on an interview with the buffalo news station earlier this week. i said, the saddest part of this interview is the next one is being planned right now. here it is. the saddest part of talking to you, andrea, the next one is being planned right now.

we're going to be doing this again. because we haven't changed what we're doing. i'm done. let's send them home. >> fred, let me ask you something before i let you go. what possible advice, help can you or anyone else offer these families? >> the next few days are truly just about getting through the seconds and minutes. you are going to have a funeral to plan. you are going to have law enforcement issues to deal with. you are going to have family that needs you and family that you will need. you are going to have children who may be siblings of those who were lost who won't understand. you are going to have necessities of life that you won't think about. andrea, my wife and i have talked a lot about this lately. we have no idea in the weeks

following the shooting how we ate. i don't know who fed my son. i really don't. life was so overwhelming that i know how fortunate i am that it happened in parkland and my community stepped in. but we don't know. my advice to these families is, make sure you eat. make sure you drink. make sure you hug. make sure you support. to the country at large, make sure you don't forget this community or buffalo, which happened last week, because they do need resources. they do need our help. my friends at world central kitchen, i have spoken with them. they are in buffalo and they are now in texas. let's just all step in and do everything we can. to the families in texas, in the weeks ahead, as things start to

settle down in your community, i would like to pay you a visit. you are part of a community that i belong to now. i ain't going to let you go. >> fred, your daughter jamie, your wife, your family, you are all in our hearts. thank you. >> thank you. the united states has experienced more than 300 school shootings since 2009. that's 57 times as many as the other industrialized nations combined. joinings now is a physician at the harvard medical school with a background in clinical and forensic psychiatry. with us, frank friglucci. doctor, these numbers are staggering. why do we see so many more mass shootings here in this country than any other country?

>> andrea, thank you for having me on. you know, my view is that this is an extraordinarily complicated issue. that really needs to be looked at more -- sort of as a multi-facetted approach. i am a little bit concerned about the issues that people will focus on, be it weapons or law enforcement or mental health. that's only a part of the bigger picture. i fully agree, one factor is that there's really no role for assault weapons outside of the military and law enforcement. i think that's a critical issue but not sufficient. there's a number of other issues

that i could speak to. but i really think we need a more multi-facetted, wider ranging approach to looking at this problem really from a multidisciplinary view. there's a number of other variables. i think that there are proactive measures we can be taking to try and reduce the risk. looking at young people, kids, young adults, who are at an elevated risk, we know there's variables that are out there that we would know about in advance. social media, social media companies need to take a much more intensified role. i think we need to look at these factors. there's a number of issues that can be addressed that will not take away the risk but at least lower the risk of these events

occurring. because it really is out of control. i think something really absolutely needs to be done. >> frank, let's talk about the fact that the local police were just outgunned by the shooter. they were there right away, but they couldn't break into the school, the concrete blocks, the construction. it was only after the tactical team arrived that the shooter was able to be stopped. what does that tell you? >> it tells you that our citizenry is more heavily armed than our law enforcement. that certainly needs to change. the answer is not only just to further arm the average law enforcement officer, but rather to mitigate the threat posed by heavy weaponry in the hands of our citizens. the work of the doctor and many others that study these events, one of the things that jumps out at me, for example, in the last 24 hours, we have the benefit of

an fbi annual report on active shooters. one of the things that jumps out is the average young age of the active shooter. there's a teachable moment here. we study, we study, but we don't action this. academic research is important, because we can turn it into action items. buffalo shoot every, 18. texas shooter, 18. what does that tell us about young men on the cusp of manhood and their ability to go out and get a weapon of war? shouldn't we be able to increase the minimum age just to save some lives? it would have saved lived in buffalo and texas if we made it 21 to get a weapon of war. also, we have to teach young men particularly in school that violence is not an option. we have to teach guidance counselors, classmates and teachers, about warning signs and indicators that a young person is moving down the path to violence.

all the warning signs and indicators i guarantee you will be here for this shooter as they have been with others. the question is, why wasn't it acted upon? is there coordination between classroom and school resource officer, teacher concerned and police department? is that in place in every community across the country? all of this needs to happen while we wait for lawmakers to get off their hands. >> thank you both. a children's crusade. some of the strongest voices for action have come from the former students who survived the horrors like the one in texas. a parkland survivor joins us next. you are watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. msnc

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arithmetic. they are taught to practice shooting drills. yesterday's shooting was the 27th school shooting this year. that doesn't include other mass shootings like last week. since columbine, that shooting in 1999, an estimated 311,000 american schoolchildren have experienced gun violence at school. tragically, including parkland, florida, in 2018. the surviving students mobilized, creating a national student movement. >> if you listen real close, you can hear the people in power shaking. they have gotten used to being protective of their position, the safety of inaction. inaction is no longer safe. to that we say, no more.

>> joining me now is david hogg, a former student and co-founder of march for our lives. 311,000 students have since columbine experienced gun violence in their schools. you and your classmates among them, those who survived. it was hard enough for you to process this when it happened to you. what must it be like for these second, third and fourth graders? >> i can't even imagine. they don't have the vocabulary to describe what's happened to them. what happened to us when we were teenagers, we could talk about it somewhat. these are babies. they are barely even kids. i honestly have no idea. you have to think about the long-term psychological affects, increased suicide rates when they are older, the trauma that it brings, the impact on their schooling. it's horrifying. >> what would you tell them?

they are children, but what would you tell them when they look back about dealing with this? >> find community. find friends. that's been the best thing for me is just learning to live my life being a student, going to college in my case, has been one of the most healing things for me. going to therapy helps as well. i found more than anything not letting this stuff kill the things you love to do. whatever it might be. this is going to be a long fight we have to be in for a long time. emphasizing the importance of community and continuing to do things you love. >> you were born a year after columbine. we have seen this happen over and over again. today you tweeted this time things will be different. why are you optimistic? >> optimism is a very rare thing for me to feel. but i think the reality is there's been work that's been

done since even before sandy hook that the movement has been working on to take on the nra, to take on the gun lobby, the gun industry, not to take on gun owners like my father or anything like that, but really take on the corrupt gun industry that seeks to subvert the fact that a vast majority of americans support background checks. i believe if we were able to pass gun violence prevention legislation in the red republican legislature of florida in the wake of our shooting, with governor rick scott, who is now a senator, i believe we can do it in a democratic senate, house and white house as well. not to mention the fact that the nra is in the weakest position it has been in in american history, because of the work we have done, filing a complaint with the new york attorney general and others. we have done the work over the past four years and before that to help turn out young people and make this a winning issue.

i truly believe we can do it. what we must focus on isn't what we can't agree on but what we can. even if it's small like universal background checks. >> i remember those days in tampa when you went to the legislature and state capital and you just got it done. you said that congress needs to do at least one thing on gun safety. you pointed to universal background checks. there is legislation, the house passed. hillary clinton calling on the senate to consider an exception to the filibuster, to curb gun violence. how important is that? >> i think it's really important. i would love to see the filibuster abolished, in my opinion. the reality is that i just want to see anything happen. i don't know if it's necessarily possible for us to abolish the filibuster, unfortunately. i want to focus on what we can agree on here. something as simple as universal background checks. i've been trying to get in touch with mitt romney, rick scott and

others. i know that we don't agree on everything. we don't agree on most things. but we agree, i know, in the deepest part of our hearts that kids should not live in fear. grandmas should not live in fear in the supermarket on a daily basis. i know that this one policy is not going to stop every shooting. it may not even stop most because there's so many factors that play into this. but if we could save one life, it will be worth it. no responsible gun owner fears a background check. the vast majorities support it. i want to meet with the republicans and talk to them about what we can agree on. yesterday, i was on joe walsh's podcast. we disagreed on a lot of stuff. but we did find common ground about universal background checks. he is advocating with me to help get senators and talking about it publically about how we need universal background checks. i'm not here to attack gun owners. i'm not here to attack

republicans. i'm here to attack gun violence. i think all americans should be doing right now no matter their political affiliation. let's work together. let's be the adults that my classmates and i didn't have who couldn't act in congress. >> i appreciate your optimism and your pragmatism. david hogg, thank you. >> thank you. how to carry on. eight years after sandy hook, the pain does not get any easier for parents or the community. a mother who turned her unimaginable anguish into action joining us next. first this from a father whose son survived yesterday's shooting. >> we always say, hug your kids every day and every morning whether they go to school or after school. whenever you get a chance. whenever you get a chance.

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don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. when 20 elementary school children were killed a decade ago, president obama -- he was overcome with emotion pleading for action by congress. >> the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.

they had their entire lives ahead of them. birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. so our hearts are broken today. >> the senate rejected expanded background checks a few months later. that april 2013 with four democrats joining republicans in opposition. joining me now is nicole hockley, 6-year-old son was one of the victims. nicole, i don't know -- i can't imagine seeing another elementary school shooting in texas. >> yesterday was awful. unfortunately hauntingly similar

to what happened nearly 10 years ago at sandy hook. i was emotionally all over the place and absolutely a wreck yesterday. >> what keeps you going? when nothing is done? >> my hope keeps me going and my knowledge that these are preventable acts of violence. there are steps we can take as citizens within our schools and within our communities and continue to press congress to take action. i've always said this is going to be generational change. i still firmly believe that, but the kids that are experiencing this now, the kids that. survived sandy hook have had over a decade of school shootings and practicing for school shootings. this is shaping their future. this is all they've known. they're going to be the ones that really create the sustainable, meaningful change. >> how do you feel for the renewed calls for teachers and school workers to be armed?

>> i've thought that's a ridiculous option and still think that's a ridiculous option. teachers are there to teach. not to potentially shoot people. i'm not a fan of harden ing schools or security. i don't think that arms officers or security officers necessarily do anything other than become killed themselves. i think this is more about what we do to prevent from the inside and teach warning signs but also legislate to ensure that only people who should be able to access firearms have that access and be more appropriate with how we regulate firearms and ensure that someone who shouldn't have one doesn't get their hands on one. >> what would you say? what advise would you have for the parents who are going through the horror today? last night? forever? >> yeah. >> how do they put one foot in

front of the other? >> you know, everyone's journey through this is going to be incredibly unique and individual. there's no right way or wrong way. i always say please respect everyone's opinions. look for the people around you who love you. who love you unconditionally and there to support you and be gracious in receiving that support because you need it more than you realize. your community, your family, your friends, they become your lifeline. each day just work to take another inch forward. it's enduring. it's dark. it's awful. you will find a way through in your own time and in your own way. >> how are the other parents, the other sandy hook families, dealing with it all these years later? >> the ones i've spoken to in the last 24 hours, mark berry

whose son dylan was killed, i think we're in a state of numbness yesterday and shock. it's just -- this doesn't hit too close to home. this is home. this is far too similar to what we experienced. as we come up to the 10-year remembrance, it's just reopening wounds that have never healed and never will heal, but it's traumatic all over again. that's where at least those people i've spoken to are today as well as myself. >> what would your message be in looking at barack obama, as emotional as he was, and last night at joe biden? what can a president do? >> presidents can do a lot. i know president obama and president biden's hearts have

been in the right place. the problem is any actions they take purely as president can be not sustained if it's not also passed by congress, the senate, and the house. that's where we have our biggest problems now and why nothing has really substantially and meaningfully happened at that level. there's not even a bill on the senate floor right now for something as simple as background checks. i hope they take action. it's beyond time for change. there's too many people dying every day, including children, that's not acceptable. >> nicole hockley, thank you. >> thank you, andrea. that does it for today's edition of "andrea mitchell

reports." chuck todd starts after this. as we await a news conference with the governor of texas and other state officials, we hope to learn more about the shooting in texas. stay with us. you're watching msnbc. with us you're watching msnbc. and in it. mostly. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 high quality products. rigorously tested by us. real world tested by you. and delivered to your door in as little as one hour.

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