AFT President Weingarten Decries Latest Shooting in Classroom in Virginia

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after the shooting of a teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va.:

“This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family of the hospitalized educator and the entire Richneck school community. It’s also a preventable tragedy: Guns shouldn’t be in our classrooms, on our campuses or anywhere near our schools. When will the shock of gunshots in school be enough to inspire the action necessary to prevent guns in schools and the shattering of lives it causes?

“Yesterday, we could barely conceive of a 6-year-old with a gun. Today, it’s a reality that has led to a critically injured teacher. We renew our call for meaningful, commonsense steps to reduce the prevalence of guns in our communities, and for basic safety precautions like background checks, safe storage laws and red flag provisions, as well as a ban on assault rifles.”