Officer brought to tears recounting Parkland shooting (2018)

Police Sgt. Jeff Heinrich recounts calling his wife and son, who were in the school on the day of the Florida school shooting, after helping to rescue victims.

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House committee eyes Thursday vote for wide-ranging gun control legislation

By Alex Rogers, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox

The House Judiciary Committee plans to vote as soon as Thursday on wide-ranging gun control legislation after a number of mass shootings in America, including at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed.

The bill would raise the lawful age to purchase a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years old, establish new federal offenses for gun trafficking and for selling large-capacity magazines, and allow local governments to compensate individuals who surrender such magazines through a buyback program, according to a person involved in the matter.

It would also establish a new tax credit for the sale of safe storage devices and a criminal penalty for breaking new requirements on the storage of firearms on residential premises.

The package, known as the "Protecting our Kids Act" and first reported by Punchbowl News, would likely pass the Democratic-controlled House but wouldn't overcome a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate.

Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said Tuesday that smaller changes "might save some American lives," but that Republicans would not agree to broader gun control measures that could stop the "daily carnage" of gun violence.

"I am being very candid with people that this is not a negotiation where we should expect the outcome will be cleaning the table on common sense, bipartisan gun safety," said Booker. "Right now, we are at a point where our nation will never be redeemed from this violence until our love of our children is greater than our love of guns and power and money."

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It's been 2 years since the deadly shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida

By Dakin Andone, CNN

On February 14, 2018, a 19-year-old gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and opened fire, killing 17 students and faculty members.

Like any school shooting, the Parkland tragedy irreparably altered the community in which it took place. But the impact of the school, its students, and the friends and family members of the victims was felt far beyond South Florida. That's because many of the survivors immediately began speaking out and confronting lawmakers about gun control reform.

Friday marks two years since that deadly shooting, and students all over Broward County, Florida, will commemorate the tragedy by observing what the district is calling "A Day of Service and Love." A moment of silence took place at 10:17 a.m. and students were expected to be released early and encouraged to participate in volunteer service projects.

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School will also be dismissed early. Mental health staff and therapy dogs will be on hand for students and staff.