Days before the third anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school massacre, Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation) today filed a Senate Resolution 1266 to create a “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial Day” to be observed every year on February 14 honoring the lives lost on that day in 2018 with flags flown half-mast.
“This resolution will ensure that for generations to come, the seventeen lives lost on February 14, 2018 are never forgotten,” says Senator Book. “We continue to honor the memories of the seventeen fallen eagles as we advocate for safer schools, sensible gun laws, and better social services that could have prevented this unforgettable tragedy.”
The lone legislative member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, Book has been a central figure in the State of Florida’s school and firearm safety debate. Book worked with now-March for Our Lives leader Jaclyn Corin to bring 100 Parkland students to the Florida Capitol in the immediate days following the Valentine’s Day 2018 shooting, coordinating trips to the site of the massacre with House and Senate leadership, and studying every facet of the shooting as part of the MSD Commission and offering recommendations to the legislature for policy change.
Last Session, Book successfully passed “Alyssa’s Law,” creating a safety alert system in public schools in honor of 14-year-old MSD victim Alyssa Alhadeff. This week, she filed “Jaime’s Law,” in honor of 14-year-old victim Jaime Guttenberg, to require background checks for ammunition sales. Currently in the state of Florida, those prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm, like violent offenders or the mentally ill, are also prohibited from purchasing ammunition. However, Florida law does not require that vendors run background checks on ammunition purchases. The bill is aimed at addressing this oversight and ensuring our communities are safer from all forms of gun violence.
Representative Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland) is working to file the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial Day” in the House.
