President Trump will meet with lawmakers Thursday to discuss a series of school safety measures. The meeting comes a day after he hosted a listening session at the White House with teachers, parents and students connected to school shootings.
Will be meeting with Lawmakers today at 11:30 A.M. to discuss School Safety. Next week it will be with our Nation’s Governors. It’s been many years of all talk, no action. We’ll get it done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
President Trump will also host a meeting with law enforcement officials today. Here is the list from the White House:
• Attorney General Pam Bondi (R, FL)
• Attorney General Curtis Hill (R, IN)
• Commissioner Rick Sanders, Kentucky State Police
• Commissioner Pam Stewart, Florida Department of Education
• Paula Stone, Deputy Director, Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health
• Sheriff Charles Stuart McDonald, Henderson County (R, NC)
• State Representative Patrick Neville (R, CO)
• James D. O’Donnell, Former Chief of Police, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority & Orange CountyLegislator (R, NY)
• Fred Kittle, School Board Member, Bartow County (GA)
• Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky (D, FL)
Trump also reiterated his stance in favor of armed guards and trained teachers in schools Thursday morning and praised the National Rifle Association.
What many people don’t understand, or don’t want to understand, is that Wayne, Chris and the folks who work so hard at the @NRA are Great People and Great American Patriots. They love our Country and will do the right thing. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
I never said “give teachers guns” like was stated on Fake News @CNN & @NBC. What I said was to look at the possibility of giving “concealed guns to gun adept teachers with military or special training experience - only the best. 20% of teachers, a lot, would now be able to
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
....immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions. Highly trained teachers would also serve as a deterrent to the cowards that do this. Far more assets at much less cost than guards. A “gun free” school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
....History shows that a school shooting lasts, on average, 3 minutes. It takes police & first responders approximately 5 to 8 minutes to get to site of crime. Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
....If a potential “sicko shooter” knows that a school has a large number of very weapons talented teachers (and others) who will be instantly shooting, the sicko will NEVER attack that school. Cowards won’t go there...problem solved. Must be offensive, defense alone won’t work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 22, 2018
Trump has proposed an increase in the age to buy a rifle and wants to bolster the firearm background check system with mental health information.