WASHINGTON — The father of a Parkland shooting victim is back in D.C. to demand action on gun reform.
"I think it's going to take more risk, more disruption," said Manuel Oliver who is no stranger to disruption when trying to gain attention for his cause. Oliver has held protests outside the White House demanding to have a meeting with President Joe Biden. He has even climbed a construction tower in downtown D.C. calling on Biden to pass gun legislation.
Five years after his son Joaquin Oliver was killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida Oliver says he and his wife are back to be a part of Saturday's March for Our Lives to make legislators uncomfortable with their inaction.
"The march was, among other things, a result of a murder of my son Joaquin," Oliver said. "On Saturday we have a chance to give Joaquin a statement."
The event today starts at noon, with a host of speeches, videos and music.
The Oliver family says they watched the 2018 protest from their home in Florida. The tragedy was too recent and their hearts were too heavy to participate, but this year they are helping lead the movement as gun legislation is at the forefront of the legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.
"We should not have to beg for change because we are trying to save lives. It makes total sense that what we are putting on the table should be approved," Oliver explained as he stepped out of the Capitol building following a vote on the house floor to advance some of the most aggressive gun-control measures in years on Capitol Hill.
After hours of emotional testimonies from victims of gun violence, the 223-to-204 vote advanced legislation that would raise the minimum age to purchase most semiautomatic rifles to 21 and would also ban high-capacity ammunition magazines.
Oliver says he is realistic about the uphill battle that awaits in the Senate.
"I wish I could tell you that I have a lot of hopes in what is going on, but I don't."
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Manuel Oliver said he doesn't have a formal invitation but plans to go to the White House Thursday to ask for answers.