Trump suggests arming teachers & staff could prevent school massacres

Date:

President Donald Trump has floated the idea that arming teachers and school staff could prevent future massacres, as he met with Florida school shooting survivors, who demanded changes and solutions.

“If you had a teacher with, who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly… And we’re going to be looking at it very strongly, and I think a lot of people are going to be opposed to it, I think a lot of people are going to like it,” Trump said at a ‘listening session’ at the White House on Wednesday, that included some Florida school shooting survivors.

While Trump’s controversial proposal is still up for discussion, the US president noted that such a practice has a high success rate on airplanes. Undercover Federal Air Marshals carry weapons on many US flights. Trump somehow estimated that just 20 percent of teachers and staff armed with guns could effectively thwart potential attacks on school property.

“The attack has lasted on average about three minutes. It takes 5-8 minutes for the responders, for the police to come in,” Trump said, explaining the argument for arming school staff.

“You’d have a lot of people who would be armed, who would be ready,” Trump said. “They may be Marines that left the Marines, left the Army, left the Air Force, and they are very adept at doing that. You’d have a lot of them and they would be spread evenly throughout the school.”

Last Wednesday, a teenager armed with an AR-15 opened fire on students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring over a dozen more. The perpetrator, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was detained shortly after the shooting and later confessed to the crime.

Students, parents and family members of Florida massacre victims raised their voices at the commander-in-chief, urging the president with tears in their eyes to find a solution to the gun problem, which continues to plague US schools.

Responding to their pain, Trump promised to be “very strong on background checks” and place a “very strong emphasis” on mental health as part of the solution to the deadly problem. “It’s not gonna be talking like it has been in the past. It’s been going on too long. Too many instances. And we’re going to get it done,” Trump said.

Not everyone welcomed Trump’s idea of arming teachers. Mark Barden, the father of one of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut, noted that any would-be shooter “is not going to care if there’s someone there with a gun” working at the school premises.

“Sunset Blvd” The Musical On Stage At The Palm Canyon Theatre

0
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s quasi-gothic musical “Sunset Blvd” is currently on stage at the Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) in Palm Springs for a two-week run.  The...

FABULOUS AUGUST WILSON PRODUCTION ON STAGE AT MARK TAPER FORUM

0
The great playwright August Wilson has been the voice and mirror for many African-Americans over the years.  Where fiery writer James Baldwin who was...

Freedom of (some) information: US ‘national security’ hampers data access

0
Despite President Obama’s promise that openness will prevail, America’s government agencies continue to tighten their grip over free public access of state documents, AP...

FASHION AND TRENDS

LulzXmas goes on: ‘Robin Hood hackers’ rob military retailer

0
Hacktivists from Anonymous have allegedly gained access to thousands of passwords and credit card numbers from Specialforces.com, an online military and law enforcement equipment...

British Political Humor On Display At Geffen Playhouse

0
No one does a better job of poking fun at their political institutions and customs than the British themselves.  Too bad the Americans haven’t...

STAY CONNECTED

234,769FansLike
71,257FollowersFollow
32,600SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -

LATEST REVIEWS

Tips for a Pet-Friendly Vacation

0
(Family Features) Vacations can be perfect opportunities to spend quality time with the family. Whether it’s a quick weekend trip to visit relatives or...

POPULAR VIDEOS

EDITOR'S PICK

Share post:

Subscribe

spot_imgspot_img

Popular

More like this
Related

Tips for a Pet-Friendly Vacation

(Family Features) Vacations can be perfect opportunities to spend...

BBC/PBS MOVIE” ELIZABETH IS MISSING” EXPLORES THE WORLD OF ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA

I’ve been asked over the years, “what is it...

“CASABLANCA” HOW AND WHY IT BECAME AN ICONIC HOLLYWOOD MOVIE:

A personal observation on American filmmaking exceptionalism When the movie...