U.S. students protest over gun laws, Trump considers arming teachers

The unprecedented lobbying effort by groups of teenagers and parents at the White House and at the Florida statehouse in Tallahassee played out as fellow students staged classroom walkouts and rallies in cities across the country.

Trump held an emotional, hour-long meeting with students who survived the Florida shooting and a parent whose child did not. He said arming teachers and other school staff could help prevent future mass shootings, voicing support for an idea backed by the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby.

The Republican president, who has championed gun rights and was endorsed by the NRA during the 2016 campaign, said he would move quickly to tighten background checks for gun buyers and would consider raising the age for buying certain types of guns.

Trump spoke at length during the televised White House “listening session”, attended by students, parents and people affected by other U.S. school shootings, about how armed teachers and security guards could frighten off potential shooters and prevent more deaths.

“If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly,” he said, while acknowledging the proposal was controversial. Some of the meeting participants indicated support. Others were opposed.

A task force backed by the NRA recommended more armed guards and teachers in schools after the Sandy Hook shooting.

Trump listened intently to ideas from about 40 people, including those from six students who survived the Florida shooting.

Trump also said he was open to looking at age limits, among other measures, and lamented the closure of many mental institutions that helped assess violent people.

“There’s no ... middle ground of having that institution where you had trained people that could handle it and do something about it,” Trump said. ---Courtesy Reuters