Statement on Uvalde Mass Shooting

Yesterday's tragic shooting of nineteen elementary school students and two teachers is unspeakable. Everyone in our District Attorney's family offers our deepest condolences to all the families affected by the shooting. Having gone through both the VTA and Gilroy mass shootings, we understand the lifelong trauma that victims experience. 

Since the Columbine shootings twenty-three years ago, as many as 185 children, educators, and school personnel have been killed in assaults on school campuses. Those grim statistics translate into nothing short of national shame. If we can't protect children in school, who can we protect? 

As a national call to action, I encourage the implementation of "Red Flag" laws across the United States. These laws allow law enforcement to enforce a temporary restraining order against people deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others. They are effective. Last week, we used a "Red Flag" restraining order and confiscated nothing short of a small armory from an individual. 

While I am certain those sending thoughts and prayers to the families of everyone killed in this unspeakable tragedy are sincere and well-intended, I would also encourage our nation to work toward action and change. The innocent victims of Uvalde deserve nothing less than our strong political will and our untethered courage