Yvonne Gonzalez
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto discusses campus safety and gun control with a group of students at Las Vegas Academy of the Arts on Thursday, April 5, 2017.
Friday, April 6, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Students across the country have been speaking out both for and against gun control, a split largely absent Thursday when Nevada’s Democratic senator sat down with Las Vegas students to discuss school safety.
The school shooting in Florida that killed 17 led to student walkouts in many cities nationwide in support of gun control, followed by similar action from young advocates of the Second Amendment. In Nevada, where a gunman killed 58 people on the Strip six months ago, a group of students gathered at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts on Thursday to tell Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto what they hope can be done to curb gun violence.
The students came from several valley schools and were invited to participate after they contacted Cortez Masto’s office about gun safety after Oct. 1, as well as subsequent shootings in other parts of the country. Some were organizers and participants of the March for Our Lives event.
“I know some of you were responsible for the incredible march that we had here, our students and your voices being heard,” Cortez Masto said. “I want to make sure that we’re having an opportunity to always have a discussion.”
Students were generally in favor of varying levels of controls to promote gun safety, with a couple of students emphasizing the need to protect Second Amendment rights. Campus security was also discussed, with students
