The US President appeared on Saturday in a bid to commence his plans for fighting and ending school violence. He tweeted that providing teachers with arms in schools would be a deterrent against deadly school violence that is becoming frequent. The President came up with this idea recently, and says that it is “Up to States”.
Last week’s Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland claimed the lives of 17 people, most of who were students. This occurrence is what triggered the president’s proposals on how to protect students in schools. He strongly recommends that the notion of arming “gun-adept” teachers and staff in schools and in classrooms as a protective measure against school violence should be considered.
Trumps Plans on Arming Teachers
Trump has even called for bonuses for every teacher who voluntarily carries a firearm with them. He also added that he wants action to strengthen the background checks performed before issuing a firearm and to boost the minimum age for purchasing an assault-style weapon. It was highly expected that the President would advise federal law on arming educators but this did not seem to be the case anymore.
In the tweet, Trump said that armed educators and trusted employees of the school are smart people who will protect their students. He said that those who would carry firearms must be firearms-adept and receive annual training. They would also receive a yearly bonus. He added that shooting in schools would not recur and that this initiative would be an inexpensive deterrent. He concluded by saying it is up to the States.
White House’s no Comment
The White House did not give an immediate response to a request to comment on President Trump’s tweet. It has not yet released a complete plan to address the urgent issue of school violence. The plan would outline the details of who would bear the financial cost of execution. The president, however, said that his suggestion will be put forward very soon. He made the statement while in a telephone interview with Fox News Channel on Saturday.
White House spokesman Raj Shah was asked by White House reporters on Thursday whether the federal government or state and local municipalities would incur the cost of training and arming school teachers. He responded that the policy was yet to be fleshed out.
Law enforcement organizations and even teachers are not for the idea; several states, however, are considering the president’s proposal to arm teachers. Vice President Mike Pence and Trump said school safety would be at the top of the agenda in their meeting with the nation’s governors in the coming week.
