President Trump on Thursday touted the “tremendous feeling” among lawmakers and even gun rights activists that Congress would soon gun control legislation in the wake of a shooting last week at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
“There’s a tremendous feeling that we want to get something done … including at the [National Rifle Association],” Trump said during a meeting at the White House with state and local law enforcement officials.
Trump said he had spoken with a number of lawmakers in the days since the Parkland shooting and noted most had expressed interest in exploring proposals that would tighten the requirements prospective gun owners must meet to obtain a firearm.
“They’re into doing background checks that maybe they wouldn’t be thinking about,” Trump said.
The president criticized policies that turn schools into gun-free zones, arguing such measures leave students vulnerable to would-be shooters.
“When you say this school is gun-free … that’s what they want to hear,” Trump said, noting that attacking a gun-free school would be like “going in for the ice cream” to a shooter.
In his talk with law enforcement officials gathered at the White House, Trump floated the idea of allowing teachers to concealed-carry weapons in the classroom and incentivizing them to get certified by offering “a little bit of a bonus” to those that undergo “rigorous training.”
“I want certain highly adept people, people who understand weaponry, guns,” Trump said. “You can’t hire enough security guards. … You need 100, 150 security guards. … But you could have concealed on the teachers.”
“I want my schools protected just like I want my banks protected,” he added.
Trump also suggested addressing the issue of school shootings from the mental health perspective. Nikolas Cruz, the suspected shooter in the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week, had well-known mental health issues that did not show up on his background check when he legally purchased his weapon.
“We want to ensure that when we see warning signs we act quickly,” Trump said. “This guy was a sicko.”
The White House has said Trump is open to proposed legislation that would strengthen background checks.
