Montwood High students demand gun control at Beto O'Rourke's town hall meeting

Montwood High School students on Tuesday made it clear that they want more than thoughts and prayers for the victims of mass school shootings in the country.

At a town hall meeting held by U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, at their school, students asked the congressman for action on stricter gun laws.

The request comes a week after the Florida school shooting that left 17 dead — a tragedy that has reignited the gun control debate in the United States.

“We are advocating for a gun reform so that schools may be safe for future generations,” said Carolina Quiroga, a high school senior.

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She said that her classmates, along with students from many other local high schools, have experienced fear when threatened with shootings.

“We are standing in a school that has been threatened with shooting ammunition twice in the past academic school year, along with many other high schools such as Americas and Ysleta high schools in the past few months. Students experienced fear, just like the students in Florida, Columbine and students in Connecticut,” she added.

Quiroga said it’s frustrating to see that lawmakers in Washington are not doing their part to protect children in schools.

During the town hall meeting, she asked O’Rourke how students can help him make this change.

"You're the example of what it is going to take," O'Rourke said. "It's the students in Florida, it's the students at every one of the schools who are sick and tired of thoughts and prayers coming from people in positions of public trust who have the power to get something done."

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O'Rourke invited students to reach out to members of Congress by phone and through social media.

O’Rourke said Montwood students are inspired by their fellow high school students in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who are demanding action on gun control.

On Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz, 19, is accused of opening fire with an AR-15 rifle at his former high school, killing 17 people and injuring 14 others.

O'Rourke plans to share Tuesday’s message with other members of Congress, he said.

“Everyone acknowledges there is no perfect solution to this, but doing nothing, which is what Congress has done for too long now, is unacceptable,” O’Rourke said. “I’m going to do everything I can as a member of the minority to urgently persuade my colleagues, especially to the Republicans in the majority, to do something.”

O’Rourke said he has been in Congress five years and the leadership in Congress has not allowed for a debate on gun control. O’Rourke said he would like to at least have a debate or a discussion on the topic.

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O’Rourke said he is for universal background checks for gun sales and he’s against letting 18- and 19-year-old people buy AR-15-style assault rifles. O'Rourke is running in the Democratic primary March 6 to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Liani Monsisvais, a senior at Montwood High School, said that, unfortunately, students have become used to shootings at schools.

While her parents advise her on what to do and how to act in case of a shooting, she is having lockdown training at school, she said.

“It’s sad that we have to resort to escape plans, text messages, just in case something does happen,” she said.

Veterans attending the meeting also joined the conversation on protecting schools from attacks. Some offered to patrol school hallways, while others blamed the National Rifle Association, which advocates for gun rights, for the school mass shootings.

“There have been too many students and too many heroic teachers who have been murdered because they were just minding their own business. The NRA, in my opinion, the National Rifle Association is partly responsible for this mess,” said Bill Hart Jr., who said he served in Vietnam.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at 546-6362; aflores@elpasotimes.com; @AileenBFlores on Twitter.

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