Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said guns in schools is not part of a federal school safety commission’s charge when asked by a member of Congress on Tuesday afternoon.
DeVos made the comments when pressed by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) during a question regarding the Federal Commission on School Safety, which she chairs, according to numerous reports.
“Will your commission look at the role of firearms as it relates to gun violence in our schools?” Leahy asked.
“That is not part of the commission’s charge, per se,” she responded, adding that the commission was “studying school safety and how we can ensure our students are safe at school.”
Senator Leahy: Will your school safety commission look at the role of firearms?
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) June 5, 2018
Secretary DeVos: That is not part of the commission’s charge, per se.
Leahy: So you’re studying gun violence but not considering the role of guns?
DeVos: We’re actually studying school safety. pic.twitter.com/Ij0GNtow6Q
The commission was formed in the wake of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida earlier this year where 17 people were killed. The shooting sparked a renewed call for gun reform, particularly among the surviving students.
Late last month, another school shooting occurred Santa Fe, Texas, where eight students were killed.
In a fact sheet about the commission’s creation, the White House said it would be tasked with addressing “school safety and the culture of violence.”
It also said the commission, headed by DeVos, would “study and make recommendations” on age restrictions to buy “certain firearms,” among other issues.
But not, apparently, the violence caused by firearms.
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