adamkaz/iStock(WASHINGTON) — As the nation is left reeling with news of yet another act of gun violence at a school on Thursday, a handful of lawmakers and 2020 presidential candidates reacted to the heartbreak and renewed their calls for action on social media.
Multiple students were wounded at a shooting at Saugus High School, in Santa Clarita, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The White House said that President Donald Trump is monitoring the reports of the school shooting and encouraged those in the area to follow the advice of local law enforcement.
Meanwhile, many of the Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls reacted to the news on Twitter, sending thoughts to those impacted and calling for change.
“My heart goes out to the Santa Clarita community as they respond to a mass shooting at a high school,” Julián Castro, a Democratic presidential candidate and the former secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama, said in a tweet. “We cannot accept this as normal. We must act on behalf of our children.”
My heart goes out to the Santa Clarita community as they respond to a mass shooting at a high school.
Thank you to the first responders, teachers, and parents responding to the scene.
We cannot accept this as normal. We must act on behalf of our children.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) November 14, 2019
Fellow presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., also expressed her heartbreak on Twitter, writing: “Our children and communities are being terrorized. We can’t accept this.”
Heartbroken and praying for Santa Clarita. I’m incredibly grateful to the first responders who are on the scene of this active situation. If you are near the area, please listen to law enforcement.
Our children and communities are being terrorized. We can’t accept this.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 14, 2019
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang called the news “horrifying” and emphasized the need for action to “fight gun violence and shootings at every level.”
The high school shooting in Santa Clarita is horrifying. My heart goes out to the families and children – our kids deserve better. We have to fight gun violence and shootings at every level, from firearm laws on down. The time for action is long past – we must do more than mourn.
— Andrew Yang