Alabama Sen. Doug Jones says Congress must address gun violence, even as lawmakers protect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners.

In his maiden speech to the Senate, Jones says the nation has reached a “tipping point” on gun violence following the mass shooting at a Florida high school and activism led by surviving students.

Jones is a Democrat who won a special election in December. He compared students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida to young people who demonstrated after four girls were killed in a Birmingham church bombing in 1963. Jones later prosecuted the bombers.

He said the students were “awakening the consciousness of America regarding gun violence” and urged Congress to adopt a series of measures, including expansion of background checks for gun purchases.

(Image: Doug Jones/Facebook)

(Associated Press, copyright 2018)