A coalition of Los Angeles County school board and community college administrators passed a resolution Monday that aims to reduce the threat of gun violence in schools, officials said.
Ben Allen, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board member, penned the initiative, which he said received unanimous support from the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association's (LACSTA) executive board.
"We're going to do what we can to publicize this and make the point to our leaders in both Washington and Sacramento that we're deeply concerned about school safety," Allen said. "We take our responsibilities very seriously, and enough is enough. We need to take a stand and start taking sensible measures to limit the threat of gun violence in our country."
Through their support of the resolution, the LACSTA board backs Allen's vow to pressure Congress and state leaders to require mandatory background checks for all would-be gun owners; encourage national, state and local leaders to increase funding for mental health services designed for children and young adults; and advocate the adoption of meaningful policies that will reduce gun violence and promote weapon safety at schools and community colleges throughout the country.
The resolution comes less than four months after a shooting on and near the Santa Monica College campus resulted in the death of five victims and the gunman.
"We were all shaken up by what happened, and not just in our own community but in terrible instances all over the country," said Allen, who noted that the most notable gun-related tragedies in recent memory have occurred on school campuses.
"We've been tasked by society with looking out for the education, well-being and safety of our nation's young people," he said. "We felt that we needed to weigh into this debate with … that role, that duty in mind."
