Father of Florida high school shooting victim to legislators: 'You all failed me and my little boy'

Updated
Father of Florida high school shooting victim to legislators: 'You all failed me and my little boy'

The father of one of the victims of the Parkland high school massacre gave an emotional testimony in front of Florida lawmakers on Tuesday during a four-hour discussion over a new school safety bill.

"You legislators, you all failed me and my little boy," said Max Schachter, the father of Alexander Schachter, a 14-year-old boy who was gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago. "I cannot wait for you to do the right thing."

During his testimony, Schachter pleaded with Florida legislators to use the mass shooting, which left 14 students and three faculty members dead, as an opportunity to shape the country's conversation around gun control reform.

"Sadly, you have a unique opportunity in the state of Florida to be leaders and to unite this country around school safety," said Schachter. "It's time to reach across the aisle. Make a commitment to change our destiny. We owe that much to all of our children."

"Right now, in Florida, we have the chance to stop it and we have an obligation because every other state in this country is watching Florida right now, what we’re going to do," he continued. "Our children deserve to go into a school, just like we’re sitting here, no one is worried that someone is coming through that door with a gun. We need to show the rest of our country how we're going to protect our kids."

Following hours of emotional discussion and multiple testimonies from relatives of Parkland victims and survivors, the House committee voted 23-6 to approve the bill, which would raise the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and create a three-day waiting period for all gun purchases.

According to ABC News, the bill would also create a program that allows teachers who are both deputized by the local sheriff's office and approved by the school district to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.

Although Schachter said he has some issues with the bill, he believes it still could have saved his son's life.

"While the proposed bill does not meet all of my goals, the components of the bill would have saved my little boy Alex," he said. "And if we would have had these measures in place, I would not have had to bury my son next to his mother a week and a half ago."

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