Tennessee state representative Bob Freeman said that he "broke down in tears" after watching video of children being escorted from Covenant School after a school shooting that killed six.
He told CNN in an interview on Monday afternoon that he has been receiving calls from concerned parents, asking for details and updates on their children.
“That’s not something you want to have to field calls for," he said. “All across our city tonight at dinner, we’re going to have some tough conversations with our kids."
“We’re gonna need answers. We’re gonna need some comfort to at least move forward to believe that this can’t happen again. We’re gonna need to trust that our kids are safe. You drop your kids off at school, you expect to pick him up at the end of the day and you expect the school and the school system to keep them safe. That’s a pretty low bar to expect from the school system and we’ve got to do better."
Freeman mentioned that he has three children in the age range served by Covenant School. "There's a very high likelihood that one of their friends or acquaintances was one of the injured and/or deceased," he said.
He called for action to combat school shootings but said that state officials "don’t have the courage to do it."
"Other countries have had a meaningful impact on gun violence, and there's a playbook that we should follow," he said.