Hickenlooper meets with Columbine school shooting survivors ahead of anniversary

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) met Tuesday with survivors of and others affected by the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. 

“This Saturday will mark 20 years since the mass shooting at Columbine High School. In those 20 years, we’ve seen similar tragedies unfold far too many times across this country, with little to no action from our leaders,” Hickenlooper, who is running for president, wrote on Facebook. 

“I’ll be meeting with survivors and family members of mass shooting victims to discuss their experience, and the need for long-term support after the cameras go away,” he added.   

During the event, which was streamed live on Facebook, Hickenlooper discussed topics such as mental health among shooting survivors with the former students and their families. 

“What a different world we’d have if we took the teachers…and allowed them training and skills around some of the issues of mental health,” he said. 

He also started the event by noting the recent suicide deaths of survivors and family members of victims of other shootings, and suggested that the government should “step in” to provide prevention resources. 

The Associated Press reported that Tuesday’s discussion took place in a Denver church. Fifteen people, including the gunmen, were killed in the April 20, 1999 mass shooting at the high school in Columbine, Colo. Also on Tuesday, Columbine and other schools in the area were briefly on lockdown due to a “credible threat” of violence intercepted by local authorities.