Huffman visits Casa Grande to address gun violence

Amid a groundswell of support for gun control laws fueled by a mass shooting in Florida, Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, last week issued a call to action to Casa Grande High School students.

Huffman, an outspoken advocate for tightening gun restrictions, March 1 delivered a clear message to the next generation of Petaluma voters: your voice matters. He described last month’s Parkland, Florida high school shooting where a gunman killed 17 people as a turning point and encouraged students to create clubs on campus, connect with socially-?isolated peers and participate in nationwide causes, such as Everytown for Gun Safety.

“I want to give you a chance to make sure your voices are heard and I want to give my support to what I think your generation is trying to do, which is to say that maybe my generation hasn’t managed this thing too well and maybe we’ve created a dangerous situation in this country when it comes to our gun policies,” he told the auditorium of about 400 students and teachers. “It’s awesome that you’re stepping up and trying to be part of this democratic process and thinking about the kind of world you want to live in.”

While there’s “no shortage of protection” under California’s gun laws, Huffman said there’s work to be done nationally. This week, he signed a petition on the House floor to force a vote on bipartisan legislation that would improve and expand background checks. He is also a cosponsor of several gun safety bills, including one that would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

“We are without peer in the world when it comes to gun violence,” he said. “We are just light years ahead of everyone else and that’s not a distinction we ought to be partially proud of.”

He said some of his congressional colleagues are influenced by donations from the National Rifle Association, a powerful pro-gun lobby with wide-reaching political power.

“Folks like me have to run for reelection every two years,” he said. “I’ve got colleagues that live in perpetual fear and that does have an effect of just shutting things down… the only way we’re going to change that is to make sure the pressure and the political heat from the reform side is stronger than what they’ve been getting in recent years from the gun side.”

Principal Eric Backman said he reached out to Huffman in an attempt to facilitate a conversation at his campus, which has about 1,700 students and 150 staff.

“This is an important historical moment where we’ve seen very powerful leadership coming from young people, first from Florida, but it’s spreading across the county,” he said.

This month, Casa Grande High School has two upcoming drills on the books that will address lockdowns and threats when students are out of class, Backman said. There haven’t been any recent threats to the campus and the student body feels “healthy,” he said.

Last week, a 16-year-old student at Sebastopol’s Analy High School was arrested on suspicion of making felony criminal threats after allegedly writing a threat of violence on a bathroom wall. On Feb. 28, a threat reading “3/1 the school is gonna be shot up...,” was found in the girls’ restroom at Santa Rosa High School, prompting an police investigation.

Amanda Haverkamp, a 15-year-old Casa Grande sophomore, said her campus feels secure, but it can be hard to ignore headlines about mass shootings at other schools.

“(I think about it) sometimes, especially when there’s a shooting,” she said. “It’s not constantly. We’ve had some conversations in classes.”

The fear of gun violence has weighed heavily on 17-year-old senior Jesus Sanchez. Now, he’s ready to advocate for change.

He plans to participate in upcoming national school walkouts aimed at raising awareness about gun violence and the need for more stringent regulations.

“I think a lot of students here on campus are ready to take some action,” Sanchez said. “Before they wanted to change but didn’t know how to, but now they know that we have the power. We’re the ones who are going to be changing the world tomorrow … We feel more confident that now the representatives are looking after us.”