Trump doubles down on proposal to arm teachers after facing backlash

Trump speaks about school shootings during listening session.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

President Trump suggested a controversial solution to America's gun violence crisis during a listening session with survivors and family of survivors on Wednesday. "If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly," the president said. "I really believe if these cowards knew that the school was well guarded … I think they wouldn't go into the school to start off with."

On Thursday, Trump backed off the proposal, only to reiterate it again:

See more
See more

Trump faced pushback immediately from Sandy Hook parents in the room for the proposal, the Hartford Courant reports. Mark Barden, who lost his son Daniel in the 2012 attack, told the president: "A deranged sociopath on his way to commit an act of murder in a school, knowing the outcome is going to be suicide, is not going to care if there's somebody there with a gun. That's their plan anyway."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.