Sen. Adam Ebbin Moves Senate to Adjourn Honoring Parkland Shooting Victims

by Kevin Dauray

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Today, in memory of the 17 students and teachers killed one year ago at  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Senator Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria), gave a moving statement before his colleagues. Ebbin, who serves as Co-Chair of the General Assembly Gun Violence Prevention Caucus spoke with passion about the numerous lives gun violence has taken, specifically school-related gun violence.

“Since Columbine, 26,000 children and teenagers have been killed by guns in our country,” he stated. He added with frustration that a bill he brought to the Floor would have “banned” the weapon used in the Parkland Massacre. It, however, did not pass. As a consequence, Ebbin said, by doing “nothing; we failed these kids.”

He spoke of some students and faculty by name: Peter Wang, who planned to attend West Point; Alysa Alhadeff, who at 14, was training for college soccer; and Coach Aaron Feiss, who will never again spend Valentine’s Day with his wife or daughter.

Ebbin’s office was not decorated for the holiday, and before adjourning, he closed by saying: Members of the Senate, I ask you, how many more children will be dead at the hand of a gun before Valentine’s Day next year?”