The Trump administration revealed the Department of Justice will assist states to provide certain school personnel with firearms training and is calling for Congress to pass several pieces of legislation it believes would enhance gun safety following the high school mass shooting last month.
Additionally, the Trump administration is creating a Federal Commission on School Safety, which will be overseen by DeVos to investigate and make recommendations for school safety.
Senior officials from the Trump administration told reporters the Department of Justice would be working with states to allow schools to partner with state and local law enforcement to allow some school personnel to receive firearms training on a voluntary basis.
Trump has repeatedly discussed teachers undergoing training so they could be armed in the classroom, and has noted he believes gun-free zones hinder safety.
“A gun-free zone is, ‘Let’s go in and let’s attack, because bullets aren’t coming back at us,’” Trump said in February.
The Trump administration is also calling for stronger background checks and is urging certain legislation to be passed at a state and federal level. For example, the administration is urging all 50 states to pass Extreme Risk Protection Orders, with the assistance of the Justice Department, if requested.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders grant law enforcement court approval to take firearms away from those deemed to be a harm to themselves or others, and temporarily prevent them from obtaining new weapons. The orders will be crafted such that due process is respected.
Additionally, Trump is backing the Fix National Instant Criminal Background Check Act proposed by Sens. John Cornyn, R-TX, and Chris Murphy, D-Ct., which would require agencies such as the FBI or local law enforcement to reporting accurate information to the NICS, or else be penalized.
Trump is also urging Congress to pass the STOP School Violence Act, which would provide schools with funding for security improvements and programs designed to prevent school violence.
Likewise, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will chair a new Federal Commission on School Safety, which will also study policies and provide recommendations concerning school safety. The commission will evaluate various areas, including age restrictions on purchasing firearms, impact of press coverage of mass shootings, and ways to improve access to mental health treatment, among other things.
“We are committed to working quickly because there is no time to waste,” DeVos told reporters Sunday evening.
The policy proposal from the Trump administration comes following the Marjory Stoneman High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. last month that took the lives of 17 individuals.
The mass shooting has prompted renewed talks about stricter gun laws and solutions for improving school safety.
Since the shooting, Trump has conducted meetings with lawmakers, school administrators, families of those impacted by gun violence, and top officials from the National Rifle Association, where he’s indicated he’s interested in a variety of solutions.
On Saturday, the Justice Department revealed the agency has submitted a notice to the Office of Management and Budget to ban “bump stocks,” which modify guns to fire bullets more rapidly. The proposed regulation would include bump stocks in the definition of machine guns under the National Firearms Act and Gun Control Act and be outlawed as a result.
The request to ban bump stocks came per the request of Trump last month following the shooting.
“President Trump is absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and security of every American and he has directed us to propose a regulation addressing bump stocks,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.
