Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee asked President Trump on Monday to engage in “a little more listening” and “a little less tweeting” on the issue of arming teachers, and said educators in his home state of Washington had rejected the proposal Trump floated last week as a way to tighten security in schools.
“I have listened to the people who would be affected by that,” Inslee told Trump during a meeting with governors at the White House. The president had invited governors to weigh in on the gun debate and other issues after making remarks that included a reiteration of his proposal to allow teachers who obtain the proper training to carry firearms in the classroom.
“I have listened to the biology teachers and they don’t want to do that, at any percentage,” Inslee said, referring to Trump’s suggestion last week that 10 or 20 percent of teachers could be incentivized to obtain concealed carry permits.
“I have listened to the first grade teachers that don’t want to be pistol-packing first grade teachers,” Inslee said. “I have listened to law enforcement who have said they don’t want to have to train teachers as law enforcement agencies, which takes about six months.”
“I just suggest a little less tweeting here, a little more listening, and let’s just take that off the table and move forward,” Inslee added.
Trump responded by noting that some states already allow properly licensed teachers to bring guns into their classrooms.
“You know, we have a number of states right now that do that,” Trump said.
In addition to arming teachers, Trump’s proposals have included strengthening background checks and raising the minimum age to buy certain kinds of firearms.
