Mariana Rocha and Jackson Laparl look at a portrait of Joaquin Oliver, one of 17 students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on Feb. 14, 2023. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption Mariana Rocha and Jackson Laparl look at a portrait of Joaquin Oliver, one of 17 students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on Feb. 14, 2023. Vice President Harris on Saturday is set to make a push for greater use of red flag laws when she visits Parkland, Fla., where one of the deadliest school shootings on record in the
United States happened in 2018. Harris plans to walk the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with family members of some of the 17 victims killed in that mass
shooting . The building where it happened is set to be demolished this summer. Harris oversees the
White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. She is also a point person for
Democrats for key groups the party needs to turn out to vote in November, including young voters,
Women and voters of color. Gun violence is an important issue for these groups of voters. In Parkland, Harris will announce a new effort from the White House for states to make greater use of red flag laws, which can be used to prevent shootings by temporarily removing guns from owners who pose a danger to themselves or others. In total, 21 states and the District of Columbia have red flag laws, including
Florida, which passed one in the wake of the
Parkland shooting. These laws allow people to seek court orders known as extreme risk protection orders. Harris will announce a new resource center to provide training and technical assistance to states, local governments, law enforcement and health care providers using the laws. She will also urge states to use funding provided in the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to raise awareness about the laws and train court staff and first responders. Only six states are using that funding so far, the White House said.