Democrats unveil plan to create gun violence prevention office

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) -- Lawmakers on Capitol Hill say the latest school shooting in Colorado highlights the need for more action to fight gun violence.

As a manhunt unfolded in Denver for the suspect in another school shooting, Democrats unveiled legislation to establish a new Federal Gun Violence Prevention Office to help coordinate information about shootings in the United States.

Senators Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy and Representative Maxwell Frost say the new federal office would ensure cooperation in collecting, analyzing and sharing gun violence data.

“We're not winning if gun violence is the leading cause of child death in the United States of America,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said.

The office would also establish a council of justice department officials, health care professionals and gun violence survivors to help make policy recommendations.

Sen. Murphy says doing more to deal with gun violence is critical.

“We are losing a generation of kids because we pay attention to the mass shootings, but we don't understand the trauma that those kids are going through every single day,” Murphy explained.

But passing any new gun legislation or restrictions will be an uphill fight as highlighted by the Republican bill last week to strengthen gun rights.

“Why do we have the second amendment? So, you can defend yourself,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said.

School shooting survivor David Hogg made a personal plea for Americans to support gun violence prevention measures, saying, “if all of the parents behind us that have lost children, literally the worst thing that can happen to a child, can stand with us. Then so can you.”