Trump says arming teachers could prevent school massacres

By Jeff Mason

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Carson Abt, as the president hosts a listening session with high school students and teachers to discuss school safety at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 21, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that arming teachers could help prevent massacres such as last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school.

 

Trump voiced support for the idea during an emotional White House meeting with students who survived the shooting and a parent whose child did not.

 

"If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, it could very well end the attack very quickly," said Trump, who acknowledged the idea would be controversial.

 

He sat in the middle of a semi-circle in the State Dining Room of the White House, listening intently as students wept and pleaded for change. He vowed to take steps to improve background checks for gun buyers.

 

The meeting included six students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and educators were slain on Feb. 14 by a gunman with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle in the second-deadliest shooting at a U.S. public school.

 

"I don't understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an AR," said Sam Zeif, 18, sobbing after he described texting his family members during the Florida shooting.

 

"Let's never let this happen again please, please," Zeif said.

 

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow Pollack, 18, was killed, shouted: "It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it. And I'm pissed - because my daughter - I'm not going to see again."

 

Trump said his administration would emphasize background checks and mental health in an effort to make schools safer.

 

"We're going to be very strong on background checks, we're doing very strong background checks, very strong emphasis on the

mental health," Trump said.

 

"It's not going to be talk like it has been in the past," Trump said.

 

Trump's support for any tightening of gun laws would mark a change for the Republican, who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association gun rights group during the 2016 presidential campaign.

 

(Additional reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Tallahassee, Fla., Katanga Johnson in Parkland, Fla., Keith Coffman in Denver and Jeff Mason, Rick Cowan, Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Writing by Scott Malone and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-22

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that arming teachers could help prevent massacres such as last week's mass shooting at a Florida high school.

Ooh Yeah, roll on dude! Maybe it´s finally going to be the perfect time for that long awaited mental health check now. Please refrain from paying the doctor to sign OK this time.

There shouldn't be an attack to start with, just like in civilized countries who have gun control.

A man that can't even fake empathy without crib notes...so sad.

 

 

The mental health checks should be there to keep the paranoid schizos out of school as well. Maybe send them to their own maximum security school. Then there wouldn't be the need for teachers of normal kids to be armed.

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

Trump says arming teachers could prevent school massacres

What a stupid idea.

 

What's next? Issuing a handgun to kindergartners for self-protection?

 

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

"It's not going to be talk like it has been in the past," Trump said.

Sadly, it is because US politicians don't have the balls to do anything.

 

When a country sees 17 of its finest young people killed for no reason and does nothing, it has truly lost its way.

 

Edited February 22, 20188 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

Since Trump likes abbreviations here is on that fits this brain dead idea:   MAD

 

Mutual assured destruction , which is exactly what will happen if you arm teachers

Don't you dare to protest against being shot at school or you will be punished:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/schools-threaten-to-punish-students-who-join-walkouts-over-gun-control/ar-BBJqsUI?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

 

 

More guns to solve the problem of guns. More bullets flying around to hit innocent kids. If this is what passes for astute political thought these days then the USA is surely in trouble.

Trump said his administration would emphasize background checks and mental health in an effort to make schools safer.

 

"We're going to be very strong on background checks, we're doing very strong background checks, very strong emphasis on the

mental health," Trump said.

 

If he's true to his word, that would at least rule Trump himself out from being able to own a gun, so that's something at least.  Sociopathic narcissists would definitely fail at the background checks. 

14 minutes ago, plachon said:

If he's true to his word, that would at least rule Trump himself out from being able to own a gun, so that's something at least.  Sociopathic narcissists would definitely fail at the background checks. 

Would it include a background check for the guy with the nuke button

Wherrrre's ma gurn?

40 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

There shouldn't be an attack to start with, just like in civilized countries who have gun control.

Like France?

 

3 minutes ago, Ahab said:

Like France?

 

Yes

What s dreadful "society".

 

On another thread (now sadly closed) I stated that I had loved living and working in the USA but I would not wish to raise children there. My interlocutor now understands why! (Well, one of the reasons). 

 

I do hope that our cousins keep themselves to themselves for some time now until they can sort their own country out.

Edited February 22, 20188 yr by Grouse

So we have armed guards to protect our money in banks, we have armed guards to protect our politicians, we have armed guards to protect us at airports, but somehow having armed trained teachers in schools to protect against these loonies is mutually assured destruction, or crazy.

 

Maybe all of the "civilized countries" that you speak of should disarm the security details of all your leading politicians? No wait we can't do that because it would be crazy.

 

Arming teachers only makes sense. Banks, airports, sporting events all have armed protection, what's wrong with school teachers being able to defend themselves? 

Arming the teachers sounds good until there is a nutter teacher, "who has been given a gun". Better arm the janitor to take out the teacher. I am stuck on who takes out the nutter janitor.

Maybe just give a gun to everyone, write it into the constitution.

8 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Arming teachers only makes sense. Banks, airports, sporting events all have armed protection, what's wrong with school teachers being able to defend themselves? 

Or binmen, or undertakers, or gardeners, or dentists.... What could possibly go wrong?

Jesus wept...

Edited February 22, 20188 yr by baboon

Looney Bin Central

Why not just build big beautiful walls arround the schools?

28 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Arming teachers only makes sense. Banks, airports, sporting events all have armed protection, what's wrong with school teachers being able to defend themselves? 

You sir, must be Murican... unbelievable.

There are approximately 30 times as many teachers as commercial pilots. It's very rare that a pilot deliberately kills all their passengers, but it does happen.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanwings_Flight_9525

 

30 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Arming teachers only makes sense. Banks, airports, sporting events all have armed protection, what's wrong with school teachers being able to defend themselves? 

A big difference between "armed protection' and arming the people being protected. 

Your just advocating everyone carries a gun.  

33 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Arming teachers only makes sense. Banks, airports, sporting events all have armed protection, what's wrong with school teachers being able to defend themselves? 

Are you really being serious, really?

1 minute ago, nkg said:

There are approximately 30 times as many teachers as commercial pilots. It's very rare that a pilot deliberately kills all their passengers, but it does happen.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanwings_Flight_9525

 

High time the passengers were armed, then...

1 minute ago, baboon said:

High time the passengers were armed, then...

 

That's the spirit - guns for everyone!

Stupid stupid man.

3 minutes ago, baboon said:

High time the passengers were armed, then...

And I kid you not, the average American would actually agree with you.

3 minutes ago, nkg said:

 

That's the spirit - guns for everyone!

Would that be a single shot musket or the modern interpretation of the 2nd.