Trump needs to 'talk to these kids' who survived Florida gun massacre: Democrat

A Democratic congressman who represents the Florida district where a school shooting last week killed 17 students and teachers said President Donald Trump needs to "talk to these kids and their families."

Rep. Ted Deutch told ABC News' "This Week" Co-Anchor Martha Raddatz that the reform of gun laws that some survivors of the Feb. 14 shooting are demanding could happen if the president meets directly with teens who survived the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Trump needs to "come to Parkland and talk to these kids and their families and everyone who has suffered. That's what should happen. That's how change will come," Deutch said.

The Democratic representative added that the student survivors of the shooting who are demanding gun control are "just not going to sit back after what they experienced, after what they saw, the worst things imaginable. They're not just going to sit back and take it. They're going to stand up for their lives."

A Florida Republican congressman, Carlos Curbelo, who appeared on "This Week" with Deutch agreed that "something has to happen."

"What we need is congressional leaders, specifically in my party, to allow some of these bills to come to the floor for debate," Curbelo said. "There are a lot of Republicans who are prepared to support reasonable, commonsense gun-safety laws, new laws, stronger laws that protect rights for responsible citizens, people who are responsible gun owners, but will prevent those who want to do harm to innocent people from obtaining these weapons."

The GOP representative noted that he has co-sponsored gun reform legislation, such as a bill to ban bump stocks, attachments that that can make semi-automatic rifles fire faster and which were used in a mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1. "Co-sponsorship is the most important currency in the Capitol," he said.

But Deutch said survivors of the shooting "don't want to hear about co-sponsoring. They want action."

He faulted Curbelo for supporting Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as House speaker, saying Ryan "refuses to bring" gun reform legislation up for a vote.

"We need the opportunity to vote ... [Curbelo] should talk to the speaker," Deutch said. "He should come to the speaker with those kids" from Stoneman Douglas High School.