--- title: Florida Shooting: Barack Obama Calls For Gun Control description: The former President offered his sympathy for the victims of Wednesday's school shooting and called for stronger gun control measures. canonical: https://time.com/5160791/obama-florida-school-shooting/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-15T18:36:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:58:39.747Z article:section: Politics og:title: Barack Obama Calls for ‘Long Overdue’ Gun Control After Florida School Shooting og:description: The former president spoke out on Twitter og:url: https://time.com/5160791/obama-florida-school-shooting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta43d759b42449031/698927bc8fd2ee450435ab75/florida-parkland-shooting-school-17-dead-42.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: school-shooting-florida og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Barack Obama Calls for ‘Long Overdue’ Gun Control After Florida School Shooting twitter:description: The former president spoke out on Twitter twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta43d759b42449031/698927bc8fd2ee450435ab75/florida-parkland-shooting-school-17-dead-42.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Barack Obama Calls for ‘Long Overdue’ Gun Control After Florida School Shooting > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=9b9d61c7-99af-4c78-9f08-9dd2db91caef&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What to Know About the Florida School Shooting [Watch (HLS stream): What to Know About the Florida School Shooting](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/iyDwrUbF.m3u8) (2:07)  _Published 2018-02-14. At least 14 victims have been hospitalized and there are reports of multiple fatalities after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – one of the largest high school campuses in the state._  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Feb 15, 2018 6:36 PM UTC At least 14 victims have been hospitalized and there are reports of multiple fatalities after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – one of the largest high school campuses in the state.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Feb 15, 2018 6:36 PM UTC Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter Thursday, not only to offer his sympathy for the victims of [Wednesday’s school shooting in Florida](http://time.com/5158678/what-to-know-about-the-active-shooter-situation-at-florida-high-school/), but to call for stronger gun control measures — something he had unsuccessfully tried to do during his presidency. “We are grieving with Parkland. But we are not powerless. Caring for our kids is our first job,” Obama [wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/964185606803853314). “And until we can honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep them safe from harm, including long overdue, common-sense gun safety laws that most Americans want, then we have to change.” Obama’s brief statement was a contrast to that of President Trump, who [addressed the nation](http://time.com/5160126/donald-trump-florida-shooting-speech-transcript/) Thursday but did not mention anything about gun control. Obama, who was President during national tragedies like the [2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut](http://time.com/5061579/sandy-hook-newtown-history/) and the 2015 shooting at the [Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina](http://time.com/4622841/dylann-roof-charleston-church-shooting-victim-family/), repeatedly stressed the need for stronger gun control measures, but his efforts were rebuffed by Congress. In January 2016, the start of his final year in office, he unveiled [a series of executive actions](http://time.com/4167749/obama-gun-control-remarks/?xid=homepage) aimed at curbing gun violence, requiring that anyone selling firearms have a license and conduct a background check on people who want to buy them. ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Students rushed into the streets and [00:00] emergency workers appear to be treating possibly [00:00] wounded people. Police said that students and teachers [00:00] inside should remain barricaded until police reach them. 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