Sunday shows preview: Debate over gun control heats up

The debate over gun control is raging in Washington more than a week after a deadly shooting at a South Florida high school.

President Trump has signaled support for some measures, including a plan to strengthen the nation’s background check system and raise the minimum age for purchasing firearms. 

But he has also homed in on proposals to arm trained teachers and do away with gun-free zones around school campuses, which Democrats have largely dismissed as non-starters. 

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The gun control debate resurfaced last week after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale. That attack left 17 people dead and 14 others injured. 

The suspect in the shooting, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. 

The student survivors of the attack have emerged as some of the most vocal advocates for gun control reform, and have sought to pressure lawmakers to take action with a series of protests and walkouts.

One of those students, David Hogg, who has become one of the most vocal proponents for restricting access to guns, is set to appear Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” He’ll be joined by Ashley Kurtz, a teacher at the school. 

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, whose office has been criticized in recent days after media reports indicated that deputies waited outside the school during the shooting, is expected to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The Sunday morning lineup is also expected to include a host of lawmakers, including Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who represents the district encompassing Parkland, and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), who has come out in favor of a ban on assault-style weapons.

Here’s the full lineup:

NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will be on. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) will also make an appearance.

“Fox News Sunday”: Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) will be on the show. Andrew Pollack, a man whose daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting will be on, as will Delaney Tarr, a senior at the school.

CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) will be on. He’ll be joined by Mast and Deutch. A survivor of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, Austin Eubanks, will go on as well. So will Michele Gay, whose daughter was killed in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Another parent of a Sandy Hook victim, Nicole Hockley, will be on, and so will Andy Parker, whose daughter was killed during a live news broadcast in Virginia in 2015. Orlando Police Chief John Mina will also make an appearance.

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Israel will be on the show. He’ll be joined by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). 

ABC’s “This Week”: Hogg and Kurtz will appear on the program. John Kasich (R) and John Hickenlooper (D), the governors of Ohio and Colorado, respectively, will also be on, as will Dana Loesch, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association.