During Listening Session With Stoneman Douglas Survivors, Trump Floats Arming Teachers as the Answer to Keeping Kids Safe at School

During a “listening session” with parents and students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, President* Donald Trump suggested arming teachers as a way to combat school shootings. He didn’t stop there, either. He also floated the idea of removing the “gun-free zone” designation from schools, and putting “troubled” students in mental institutions. So. All in all, it went about as you’d expect it to go!

The absurd idea of giving teachers guns has long been pushed by the gun lobby as a solution to school shootings. It’s not at all surprising that Trump suggested arming teachers. It’s HORRIFYING, but not at all surprising.

Do any of you know a teacher? I’m sure a good chunk of you are teachers. So, tell me: are you prepared to carry a gun and shoot a student? Or throw yourself in the fray, bullets flying, with your own weapon cocked and ready? How many of you have every actually fired a weapon? Have you fired one in a life-or-death situation? Are you comfortable with the immensely heavy responsibility of potentially ending someone else’s life? There weren’t a lot of answers during the listening session, and very few gun proponents have ever been able to offer satisfactory solutions to the MANY problems this would create.

Parents and student who’ve just lived through one of the most horrific experiences you can imagine went to the president and asked for gun control. His answer? More guns.

Of course, Trump walked back his comments today, because quite honestly he has no fucking idea what he’s talking about. During the listening session, he said, “”If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly.” This morning, he tweeted a denial that he said what he said, and then basically repeated verbatim what he denied saying.

Aside from his asinine response to bereaved students and parents asking for action on the subject of gun control, Trump also drew criticism for a sheet of notes he carried during the session.

#5: I hear you. When you need to be reminded to show even the tiniest shred of empathy, there is something wrong with you. Also telling that he refers to schools shootings as “your problem”. But don’t worry! If we had any doubt which side of the aisle this idiot sits on, he cleared it all up this morning.

Great people, sure. Great people whose solution to preventing gun violence in schools is to put more guns in schools. But I suppose when you’ve gotten over 30 MILLION DOLLARS from them, you have some obligations to fulfill, right Mr. President*?

(Image: YouTube/CNN)

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