SPRINGFIELD, Va. — Virginia Senator Tim Kaine spoke to an enthusiastic group of middle school students Tuesday in Northern Virginia.
A group of students at Key Middle School in Springfield, isn't waiting for Congress to act, they are taking their safety into their own hands.
The group of 23 students, called Now or Never, wrote the senator six weeks ago. Senator Kaine spoke for over an hour about timely topics, but mainly the students were concerned about gun violence.
"We feel like anything can happen at any moment," said Andrea-Grace Mukuna. Mukuna is an 8th grader at Key Middle School. She said she and other students formed their group about a month after the Parkland shooting.
Since then, they have met every Wednesday in a nearby classroom. They have been writing letters, hosting car washes and even presented to the school board ideas to make them safer, like having more school resource officers.
The kids said a big issue for them is making sure fellow students get mental health help. It's something that Senator Kaine said prematurely ended for Virginia Tech Shooter Seung-Hui Cho.
Senator Kaine said he is helping to formulate a bill where mental health services would be treated like any other physical health problems.