US Education Secretary criticised after saying panel won't study guns' effect on school safety

Last updated 12:51, June 7 2018  US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is under attack after telling lawmakers that a safety commission formed following a February shooting at a Florida school would not examine the role firearms play in school violence.About 60 people - including advocates, parents and students - gathered at US Education Department headquarters on Wednesday to share their views on school violence and their concerns about the direction of the Federal Commission on School Safety. Betsy DeVos told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that examining the role of firearms in school violence was "not part of the [school safety] commission's charge," even though the White House directed the panel to examine age restrictions for certain firearms. The panel was created by US President Donald Trump in response to the Parkland, Florida, shooting, which authorities said was carried out by a gunman wielding a semiautomatic rifle.Outside, about a dozen people from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence protested, including one dressed as a bear - a reference to DeVos' comments last year that a Wyoming school might need a gun "to protect from potential grizzlies."READ MORE:
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