Former School Shooter Praises Parkland Students For Seeking Gun Reform — So, Your Move, Congress

In 2004, 16-year-old Jon Romano opened fire at his high school in East Greenbush, NY, with two shots of a pump-action shotgun, before he was tackled by the assistant principal, John Sawchuk. As Sawchuk tried to subdue Romano, the gun went off for a third time and the bullet hit a special-education teacher in the leg. However, thanks to Sawchuk, no one was killed that day. Now Romano, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for attempted murder and reckless endangerment, has written a column in the Times Union to thank the assistant principal and to praise students in Parkland, FL, for seeking gun reform after the Feb. 14 mass shooting in which 17 people were murdered.

"I believe the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland are courageous and inspiring for demanding action from politicians," Romano wrote. "Everyone nationwide should accept nothing less than meaningful, life-saving policy changes from their representatives. Only then could this generation be the last generation that lives in a nation plagued by gun violence."

The now 28-year-old is eligible for parole in March 2021 and wrote that he intends "to advocate for gun safety and mental health reform" once he's out of prison.

After the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland students have been asking politicians to stop accepting donations from the NRA, asking Congress to pass legislation that will make background checks more efficient, and urging that the age requirement to buy guns be raised. Slowly but surely, change is already occurring, thanks to retailers such as Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Kroger, which all announced they'd be raising the minimum age for gun buyers to 21.

Romano, who is encouraging this type of reform despite his past, is just more proof that the country is more than ready for some serious change.