Father of child killed in Parkland shooting speaks out on anniversary of tragedy
Ryan Petty, who lost his 14-year-old daughter Alaina in the 2018 Parkland shooting, spoke out against gun control in an interview with Fox News Digital and called instead for armed security and active shooter drills to help protect students.
Ryan Petty, who lost his 14-year-old daughter in the Parkland, Florida, school massacre, lambasted President Biden on Tuesday for using the date marking five years since the shooting to push stricter gun control measures.
"Don't use my daughter's death to advance your political agenda," tweeted Petty. "Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama-era school discipline policies, and a sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try learning what really happened."
Petty then pasted a link to an official report submitted to the governor and state legislature on what happened during the shooting.
Petty's comments were in response to a tweet and accompanying video of Biden on Tuesday marking the fifth anniversary of the 2018 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire and murdered 14 students and three staff members. One of the students killed was Petty's daughter, Alaina Petty.
"Five years ago, a gunman committed an act of horror at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School," Biden tweeted. "Today, we mourn the 17 loved ones lost. And pray for the countless loved ones left behind. For the lives lost and the lives we can save, we must ban assault weapons."
In the video, Biden expressed his condolences for everyone affected by the massacre before touting gun control measures taken by his administration.
President Joe Biden in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Oct. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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"You've helped me take more executive actions to reduce gun violence than any of my predecessors at this point in their presidencies," said Biden. "We've reined in ghost guns, cracked down on gun trafficking, increased resources for violence prevention. And we stood together as I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years."
"But there's so much more to do," continued the president. "We have to ban assault weapons … We must say enough is enough."
Beyond his tweet, Petty told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that more gun control wouldn't make students safer.
Photos of the 17 people killed during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting are displayed on the 5th anniversary of the shooting on Feb. 14, 2023 in Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
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"I don't think gun control would solve these problems," he said. "There are too many guns already in the hands of Americans across the country. The thought that we can pass some new gun control law and protect our schools just doesn't make any sense, especially when you understand what happened."
Petty explained school shootings are complex and require several solutions and preventative tactics, adding schools can take practical steps toward building a safer environment for students.
Coconut Creek, Fla., police officer Michael Leonard takes a moment with his School Safety Dog Taylor, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, as he visits a memorial in front of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) in Parkland, Fla. Leonard was the officer that stopped and arrested the shooter Nikolas Cruz. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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Petty has previously said that gun control doesn't work on a basic level because "criminals don't obey gun laws."
Petty is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was formed to understand what happened during the shooting and examine what can be done to prevent future tragedies. He also founded the WalkUp Foundation, whose mission is "to protect our children and teachers at school through the support of evidence-based policies and programs which improve the culture in our schools, educate everyone to identify and report potential threats, and encourage robust and accountable interactions between students, educators, parents, mental health professionals, and law enforcement."
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The shooter, Cruz, was sentenced to life in prison in early November after pleading guilty to the killings. He had said he picked Feb. 14 in particular so that the school would never celebrate Valentine's Day again.
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