School shootings are an all-too-often occurrence in this country, and when confronted by the children whose lives are at stake, it is impossible to avoid the gravity of this crisis, a lesson that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders learned this week.

Thirteen-year-old Benje Choucroun was at the White House briefing room on Wednesday, reporting for Time for Kids, and he did not mince words when it was his turn to pose a question to Sanders: “At my school, we recently had a lockdown drill. One thing that affects my and other students’ mental health is the worry about the fact that we or our friends could get shot at school. Specifically, could you tell me what the administration has done or will do to prevent these senseless tragedies?”

SLIDESHOW: Met Gala 2018 – 23 Best Dressed Stars

Sanders, a mother of three herself, was clearly choked up by the question, as she answered, “As a kid, and certainly as a parent, there is nothing that could be more terrifying for a kid to go to school and not feel safe, so I’m sorry that you feel that way.”

As for what solutions are being explored, she offered, “This administration takes it seriously and the school safety commission that the president convened is meeting this week again, an official meeting to discuss the best ways forward and how we can do every single thing within our power to protect kids in our schools and to make them feel safe and make their parents feel good about dropping them off.”

President Donald Trump and the rest of the federal government have yet to implement any significant reforms in the wake of the Santa Fe and Parkland shootings and all the shootings that have preceded them.

Leave a comment

Read more about: