"It is certainly a tragic event and we're gonna work on it in many ways to do something about it," Sessions said. "It cannot be denied that something dangerous and unhealthy is happening in our country… We've got to confront the problem… I think we can and we must do better."
READ MORE: Florida's Valentine's Massacre: Facts About Gun Control & Gun Violence in the US
Sessions said he has instructed the Office of Legal Policy to work with Health and Human Services, Education, Homeland Security, and across the administration to examine the connections between mental health and criminality in order to identify ways to prevent future violent attacks.
On Wednesday, at least 17 people were killed and more than a dozen wounded in an attack waged by a former student of the high school in southern Florida’s Broward County.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement via Twitter that in addition to the US president calling for the nation's flags to be flown at half-staff, the Senate will hold a moment of silence on Thursday to pay respect to the victims of the deadly shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida,
.@SenateMajLdr McConnell's Senate floor remarks on Parkland, Florida tragedy: https://t.co/itK6QnMZeS. The Senate will hold a moment of silence at noon today.
— Sen. McConnell Press (@McConnellPress) February 15, 2018
Nearly 300 shootings have occurred at US schools since 2013, an average of about one per week, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a US gun control advocacy group. Wednesday's attack in Florida was the 18th incident involving guns at a US school so far this year, and the eighth incident to result in injuries or deaths, according to a running tally provided on the group's website.
READ MORE: Gun Violence Panic Hits Florida School 12Km Away From Tuesday's Massacre Scene
