Billy Graham, Arming Teachers, Snake Song: 7 Takeaways From Trump's CPAC Speech

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Friday, February 23, 2018

2) Allowing teachers to carry concealed guns

A family sits around one of 17 crosses at a memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, February 16, 2018. | (Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Drake)

The president spoke about last week's mass school shooting in Parkland, Florid, that resulted in 17 people being murdered by a gunman.

Trump argued for allowing teachers to be allowed to carry concealed firearms on campus, echoing earlier arguments from a CPAC speech by National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre on Thursday.

"This would be a major deterrent," said Trump, arguing that having schools be a "gun free zone" makes mass shooters feel safe.

"Why do we protect our airports and our banks, our government buildings, but not our schools? It's time to make our schools a much harder target for attackers."

On Thursday during a White House session on school shootings, Trump said its likely only 20 to 40 percent of teachers nationwide would want to be licensed for concealed carry on campus.

"These would be people that actually would want them. And it would be a small percentage but it would be a lot of people. And once you do this you will have a situation where all of a sudden this horrible plague will stop," Trump said.