Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in the Parkland, Fla. shooting last month, said on "Face the Nation" Sunday that lawmakers shouldn’t be primarily focused on gun control to stop school shootings.
Pollack has met with President Donald Trump and Florida officials to discuss potential responses to school shootings. The bereaved father said gun control laws are not "achievable" at this time and lawmakers should instead take steps to protect schools themselves.
"They're focusing on something that's not achievable. Gun laws right now are not achievable," Pollack said. "My daughter was murdered by a gun. She should have been safe in the school. That's the problem."
"So that's the first thing I want to address," he continued. "I'm not saying don't go after gun laws. I'm not a gun expert. I'm saying that [school safety] is the problem we need to address. There was 200 shootings; that's always getting twisted into gun laws and gun control. If we all focus together, one nation, no political affiliation, we could work together and make the schools safe and then go fight it out whatever you want."
Since the deadly 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 186 shootings have occurred on U.S. school campuses, according to the gun control advocacy group Everytown For Gun Safety.
Pollack's stance echoes points made by Trump, who has emphasized hardening schools while also expressing openness to some gun control.
Pollack explicitly blamed the media for focusing on gun control in the wake of shootings, and he said that focus prevents action from being taken to make schools safe.
"One of the reasons why I'm here is because there's been 200 shootings already in this country, and there's a reason why it hasn't stopped," Pollack said. "Because after every shooting, the media, they focus on gun control. Okay, gun control, that's a big problem. But I feel that if we all come together as parents, grandparents, uncles and we just work on this. Let's make our schools safe."
Pollack pinned his hopes on the bill going through Florida’s state legislature now, a bill that Gov. Rick Scott (R.) and Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran (R.) have talked to him about.
"[Scott] showed me this bill, the speaker of the house went over the bill with me, and we need to get the bill passed in Florida. And that's why when I leave here tonight I'm on a mission," Pollack said. "I'm going to Tallahassee and I'm going to make sure the bill passes. Whatever I have to do."
The bill currently includes provisions to protect schools, such as increased security, as well as gun control measures, such as raising the age minimum to buy a rifle to 21 years of age. State representatives have said the bill needs more work before it is ready for passage, but many Democrats argue it does not have stringent enough gun-control measures.