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Mitchell: Putting it all on the table for public and school safety

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Monday, March 26, 2018 5:16 PM

My 14-year-old daughter asked if her school is safe. That’s a tough question for parents. Colorado should lead the nation to reduce school and mass shootings. We need a nonpolitical task force composed of experts within a range of disciplines based on empirical evidence.

The task force would be mandated to identify specific actions that would promote public and school safety, based on established facts instead of politics. And, everything should be on the table.

Members of the task force must be problem-solvers, not politicized problem-talkers. And they should have a hard deadline for reporting their factual findings. If they don’t act with urgency, replace them. Florida made their first response to Parkland in less than one month. We can do just as well to start.

The task force would address mental health, interventions by family, school and law enforcement, increased criminal behavior profiling, community engagement, reviewing health care privacy laws and strengthening schools so they’re no longer soft targets.

I’m talking about a holistic and comprehensive approach with multiple, coordinated actions. Enough is enough. Let’s get on top of this crisis now and come together for the sake of our kids.

It’s worth mentioning that I’m a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. I’m also the only candidate for governor who has an “A+” NRA rating without ever taking a dime from the NRA. But that won’t stop me from thinking anew about this critical issue before us.

Victor Mitchell

Castle Rock

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