Just one day after calling for teachers to carry guns in school to prevent mass shootings, Donald Trump was once again forced to clarify his remarks. After giving his explanation, the president quickly came under fire.
“I don't want teachers to have guns. I want certain highly adept people who understand weaponry and guns,” President Trump says. “These people are cowards. They're not going to walk into a school if 20% of the teachers have guns — or maybe 10% or 40%.” https://t.co/24D5X2q5Fk pic.twitter.com/FvJkq6WnVF
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2018
Trump and guns
After the mass shooting earlier this month at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the issue of gun control and gun rights has once again landed in the headlines.
Unlike previous mass school shootings, the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have rallied many across the country to stand up, protest, and call for action on reforming the nation's gun laws. The debate has become predictably partisan, which led to a "listening session" at the White House with students and teachers on Wednesday, as well as a large town-hall event set up by CNN later that night.
President Trump says “active shooter drills” are negative for children: “I’d much rather have a hardened school. I don’t like it. I wouldn’t want to tell my son that you’re going to participate in an active shooter drill.” pic.twitter.com/V1mTXV2l91
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 22, 2018
On Thursday afternoon, Donald Trump held meeting on school safety with state and local officials at the White House, where he elaborated on his plans to help prevent mass shootings in schools, which included giving teachers a financial bonus for carrying a gun.
"I have been reading a lot about it and I think when you allow a person who has been in the Marines for 20 years who's done nothing but handle guns, and handles them safely and well, because you can't just give a teacher a gun," Trump said.
Reporter: What do you say to teachers who say they don’t want guns in the classroom?
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 22, 2018
President Trump: “These are experts. These would be people that actually would want them. It would be a small percentage, but it would be a lot of people.”https://t.co/24D5X2q5Fk pic.twitter.com/UNgwynoq4u
"One of the fake news network, CNN, last night said I want teachers to have guns," Donald Trump said.
"I want certain highly adept people who understand weaponry and guns,” Trump added. "These people are cowards. They're not going to walk into a school if 20 percent of the teachers have guns, or maybe 10 percent or 40 percent." "What I would recommend doing, the people who do carry, we give them a bonus. We give them a little bit of a bonus," the president went on to add.
Trump then came out against schools holding drills on how to respond to shootings, saying, "I’d much rather have a hardened school. I don’t like it. I wouldn’t want to tell my son that you’re going to participate in an active shooter drill."
Double down
"We have to harden our schools not soften them up," Donald Trump went on to add. "A gun-free zone to a killer or someone that wants to be a killer, that's like going in for an ice cream,” he stated. Not stopping there, Trump went on to say "The time for political correctness is over," before adding, "We have to get this problem solved."
Moving forward
With Donald Trump in the middle of the current debate over gun control, he's made it clear that he stands on the politically conservative side of the debate.
While the president has announced his support for additional background checks and banning bump stocks, he also tweeted out praise for the NRA just hours before holding his school safety meeting, which didn't go over well with critics.
