Darrell Scott, Father Of A Columbine Victim, Calls For ‘Culture Of Connectedness’

Carolyn Kaster/AP

A man whose daughter was killed in the Columbine High School shooting told President Donald Trump the country "must create a culture of connectedness" to help prevent future mass killings.

Darrell Scott told Trump during an emotional listening session Wednesday that if people focus on relatedness, they can celebrate diversity and achieve unity.

"And it comes from something you said last week in your speech, and it was that we must create a culture of connectedness," he said. "We must create a culture in which our classmates become our friends."

Scott's daughter, Rachel, was among 13 killed in the 1999 rampage in suburban Denver.

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Scott also told Trump the problem goes deeper than mental illness, noting that a lot of children who have mental health issues are kind and compassionate.

Trump had invited survivors of school violence and parents of murdered children in a show of his resolve against gun violence in the wake of last week's shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The president has said he's in favor of tougher background checks for gun buyers, raising the age to purchase a firearm and more armed personnel in schools.