Maggie AstorCompte certifié

Yang, who has two young kids, said schools should end active-shooter drills; he believes they're traumatic and not effective. "It gives rise to a real sense of uncertainty for that child. If you can’t be secure in your own classroom...your whole sense of the world gets shaken."

Children shouldn't have to worry about being shot, Yang says. "Let the adults worry about them getting shot, and let the kids go to school."

Next and last up will be @KamalaHarris.

"We're trying to continue with our gun forum but Andrew Yang won't stop with the selfies," Melvin jokes. Then Kamala Harris runs out to greet Yang. "You're supposed to wait for your introduction!!!" Melvin yells.

Asked about Trump's tweet saying impeachment is making gun legislation impossible, @KamalaHarris says: "This president has gotten nothing done about much of anything since he’s been in office. He has been without courage..."

"...The president of the United States has to stand up to the NRA and say, 'Enough is enough—I’m not going to any longer accept your false choice that you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everybody’s guns away.'”

Harris talks about systemic problems that breed violence, esp. in communities of color. "People think, OK, we want to create safe communities, that’s the criminal justice system. Wrong. The goal should be safe & healthy communities bc healthy communities create safe communities."

That means economic resources, public schools, health resources, etc, she says. "If there is not economic opportunity in a community, you will see people go to other ways to survive."

In talking about public schools, and the importance of education in preventing violence, Harris sharply criticizes Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. "She's trying to put guns in the hands of teachers. You know what those teachers want? They want a raise."

Harris says we need to abandon "the idea that the way you get safety in a community is to put more police on the streets. That will not be effective. That is reactive. That is not clear about the goal."

A trauma surgeon asks how Harris would prevent people who are suicidal from getting guns. (He's at the event with 3 other surgeons and says, "Frankly, this is our lane." Clear jab at the NRA, whose leaders have said doctors who call for gun control should "stay in their lane.")

Harris says universal background checks can identify some people who might be a danger to themselves, as can red-flag laws. She criticizes people who suggest that improving mental health services is an alternative to changing gun laws. "We need to do both."

Melvin asks whether Harris is concerned that anything she accomplishes through executive action, instead of legislation, could be overturned by the next president. "Craig," she says, "I will deal with that in eight years."

"Come to me with this problem in eight years, but right now I'm fixing to do something about it," Harris says after talking about how terrified many students and teachers are.

An audience member asks how Harris interprets the 2nd Amendment. "It's back to my point about false choice," she says. "You can respect the 2nd Amendment, you can respect the traditions of hunting…"

"...you can respect all that and understand that an assault weapon, let’s be really clear about this, an assault weapon was designed to kill a lot of human beings quickly. It’s the design of the thing..."

"There is no legitimate reason or purpose for them to be on the streets of a civil society. It’s a weapon of war. This is not in conflict with the 2nd Amendment…It’s a false choice. So that’s how I interpret, and most reasonable people do, the 2nd Amendment."

Harris restates her support for a mandatory assault weapons buyback program.

She also agrees with an audience member that "we need to demilitarize police departments," and criticizes the terminology of, for example, the war on drugs. Says the US has had leaders "who declared war on the American people."

And we are done.

Or... not quite? Giffords, Murphy, and @briaasmithh are coming back out.