Senator David Carlucci and Assemblywoman Elle Jaffe held a press conference Wednesday, Feb 12, 2020 in support of Alyssa’s Law.

The press conference was held just days before the 2-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting that claimed the lives of 17 victims, including 14-year old Alyssa Alhadeff, for whom the law is named.

“Unfortunately, we know that in 2019 there were more mass shootings than there were days in the year,” said Sen. Carlucci.

He then positioned his proposal to the crowd to pass Alyssa’s Law, which would require panic alarms be placed in New York schools, a law that is currently being implemented within schools in the state of New Jersey.

Sen. Carlucci explained the importance of incorporating a system within all schools to react swiftly to emergency situations.

“We need to keep it orderly and silent and make sure that the first responders can respond as quickly as possible,” expressed Sen. Carlucci earnestly.

On stage during the press conference stood Alyssa’s relatives, Jadyn and Jordan Turner, who are now advocating for passage of Alyssa’s Law in New York in memory of their family member and also as a means of protecting New York students from the mass shootings that have become so common in our country.

Jadyn, Alyssa’s cousin, details Alyssa’s last moments as she sat in her English class at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on Valentine’s Day of 2018 and how quickly her life was taken and the lives of those who loved her, forever impacted. “In one single moment, everything changed. She took her last breath after being shot 10 times,” said Turner. A skilled soccer player and brilliant scholar, Alyssa’s life was claimed far too soon. Jadyn and New York lawmakers are working with Make Our Schools Safe to shape the policy that dictates how safe our school environments are in hopes of stopping the continuous loss of lives.

“While we mourn the victims of mass shootings and gun violence,we must also work on ways to keep our children safer and that is why we must pass Alyssa’s Law, insisted Assemb. Jaffe.

That attitude is exactly what has charged the mission of Make Our Schools Safe to provide a consistent solution across the board to address the gun violence that has plagued our nation’s schools.

Watch the full New York State Senate press conference here: