Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Stoneman Douglas shooting site in Parkland

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to visit Parkland this month to view the building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where a shooter killed 17 people and wounded 17 others on Valentine’s Day 2018.

Harris, who oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, will visit on March 23, and she is expected to highlight gun safety efforts made by the Biden-Harris Administration, according to news reports.

Harris’ visit will happen during students’ Spring Break vacation.

Ahead of the school building being demolished this summer, there have been many walk-throughs. Some Congressional members have toured, and so have federal officials.

The significance of Harris’ visit “cannot be overstated,” said Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, was among those killed. Guttenberg, who has advocated for gun safety, said he asked White House officials to come.

Guttenberg called the building “an untouched crime scene” and said the visit was important “to see what happens when these weapons end up in the hands of those determined to kill.”

Tony Montalto, who lost his 14-year-old daughter, Gina, on that tragic day, said he will be one of the parents to accompany the vice president. He said it was important for elected officials who can impact school safety measures to walk the hallways to see first-hand “what failed, to hear what’s been done, and to hear and see the things we need to do to make America safe, to make it safe for our students and teachers.”

In Utah, $100 million was allocated for school safety after a state representative toured Stoneman Douglas in Parkland. “There’s no question about it: every official that comes through this building changes your life,” said Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, was killed. “It’s hard for all of the victims families to walk through that building with them but every time we do this, schools are safer, children are safer, and we are saving lives by doing it.”

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash