President Donald Trump is doubling down on his proposal to arm teachers. He claims it could prevent school shootings.
In a series of tweets Thursday, Trump said in part: "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!"
Trump brought up the idea Wednesday during a listening session with those affected by school shootings.
"If you had a teacher with, who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly," Trump said. "... I really believe that if these cowards knew that the school was well-guarded, from the standpoint of having, pretty much, professionals with great training, I think they wouldn't go into the school to start off with."
Many of those at the sessions expressed support for the suggestion. But critics, including some teachers, pushed back against the idea, arguing educators should be armed with ways to prevent school shootings, not with weapons.
