Trump Says Focus Should Be On Mental Health, Securing Schools

During the CNN town hall-style event on Wednesday evening, former President Donald Trump discussed the issue of school shootings — and his policy for putting an end to the violence without restricting Americans’ Second Amendment rights.

CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins questioned the former president about whether he would sign “any new gun restrictions” into law if he wins the 2024 presidential election.

Instead, Trump said that the focus should be on dealing with the mental health crisis that is prompting these shootings, and on making schools a harder target by increasing security — as statistics show that mass shootings are more likely to happen in areas where law-abiding citizens are prohibited from carrying weapons to protect themselves and others. According to the former president, arming teachers is a better answer than hiring separate security personnel.

“I would do numerous things, for instance, schools, we would very much harden,” Trump said, adding: “I believe in teachers. I love teachers. I think they’re incredible and they love the children, not quite like the parents, but in many cases, almost as much. Many of these teachers are soldiers, ex-soldiers, ex-policeman, they are people that really understand weapons.”

Trump then argued that having just 5% of teachers armed “would be more than you could ever have if you were going to hire security guards” — though he did note that having both security guards and armed teachers is part of his plan, along with “hardening your entrances.”

“And you can make other places safe, but it is a big mental health problem in this country more than anything else,” he added.

Trump went on to explain why he is not focusing on new restrictions, emphasizing the fact that there are hundreds of millions of guns in the United States — and many Americans are “not going to be very safe” if they aren’t allowed to have a gun.

He pointed out that being able to exercise their Second Amendment rights provides Americans with “security.”

During comments at the NRA Leadership Forum in April of this year, Trump noted that he planned to create a tax credit for teachers who receive training to be armed. He also stated that he would sign legislation instituting national reciprocity for concealed carry permit holders — allowing concealed carry licenses from each state to be recognized across the country, just like a driver’s license.