--- description: Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the U.S. "must reverse these trends" and vowed to increase gun prosecutions. title: 'We Must Confront This Problem.' Read Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Florida School Shooting image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e3192687bdb36bf/698927cabc6cfcfcb63e5097/gettyimages-917494600.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [justice](/tag/justice/) ## justice Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'We Must Confront This Problem.' Read Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Florida School Shooting by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 15, 2018 4:21 PM CUT  On Abraham Lincolns birthday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivers remarks in the Lincoln Hall of Union League of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, on February 12, 2018. On Abraham Lincolns birthday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivers remarks in the Lincoln Hall of Union League of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, on February 12, 2018.NurPhoto—NurPhoto via Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 15, 2018 4:21 PM CUT Jeff Sessions said that the Justice Department will make responding to school shootings a priority. Speaking to the Major County Sheriffs’ Association Thursday, the attorney general said that the U.S. “must reverse these trends” and vowed to increase gun prosecutions. “It cannot be denied that something dangerous and unhealthy is happening, and we are once again, watching the images of our children— terrified— streaming from their school with their hands above their heads,” he said. “When parents, once again, go to sleep in fear that their kids will not be safe when they leave for their school bus in the morning. We must confront this problem.” Sessions was speaking one day after a gunman [killed at least 17](http://time.com/5158678/what-to-know-about-the-active-shooter-situation-at-florida-high-school/?xid=homepage "undefined") and injured 14 students at Marjory Stonemason Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It was the [18th school shooting](http://time.com/5159039/florida-school-shooting-parkland/?xid=homepage "undefined") of this year. The suspected shooter, 19-year-old [Nikolas Cruz](http://time.com/5159134/who-is-the-florida-shooter-parkland-nicolas-cruz/?xid=homepage "undefined"), was taken into custody about an hour after fleeing school grounds. Read Sessions’ full remarks as prepared for delivery. --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5160368/florida-school-shooting-jeff-sessions/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5160368/florida-school-shooting-jeff-sessions/"},"headline":"'We Must Confront This Problem.' 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