Trump: ‘We are a nation in grief’

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump offered condolences Thursday in the wake of a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people. “Today, I speak to a nation in grief,” he said. “No child, no teacher, should ever be in danger in an American school.” The president said he has been communicating with state and local officials in Florida and is making plans to visit Parkland in the near future. The suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, showed signs of troubling behavior and even spent time getting treatment at a mental health clinic. Trump said the United States needs to do a better job at finding help for those with mental health problems but made no mention of reforms to gun laws. During the Wednesday attack, Cruz used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle—the same weapon used in other recent mass shootings in Texas and Las Vegas. After the Parkland shooting, Democrats urged Congress to work on gun reforms. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., outlined three priorities: Create a select committee on gun violence, allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence, and pass expanded background check legislation. “I would rather pass gun safety legislation than win the election,” she said Thursday. Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott told reporters he’d already talked with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., about the need for legislation that would prevent anyone with mental illness from buying a gun.