Vice President Kamala Harris (D-California) went to the National Education Association’s annual meeting in Chicago to discuss the tragic shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, which left seven people dead.

“We need to end this horror. We need to stop this violence. And we must protect our communities from the terror of gun violence,” Harris said. “Teachers should not have to practice barricading a classroom. Teachers should not have to know how to treat a gunshot wound. And teachers should not be told that lives would have been saved if only you had a gun.”

Harris went on to criticize the inaction of politicians after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

The vice president told the audience that Republican “extremists” in Congress are preventing the passing of any solid legislation on gun control.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Despite the setbacks to legislation, she argued it was time to break through the wall of Republican stalling and get to work.

“Do not despair. Do not be overwhelmed,” Harris said. “Do not throw up our hands when it is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

Read more about:

Get the free uPolitics mobile app for the latest political news and videos

iPhone Android

Leave a comment