Rep. Ted Deutch on Sunday called President Donald Trump’s proposal to arm teachers a "distraction" in the wake of the mass shooting at the Florida senior high school that killed 17 people.
The Democratic congressman from Florida and fellow Florida Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican, appeared on CBS’s "Face america," where host Margaret Brennan asked both men whether supported arming teachers in the classroom.
Story Continued Below
"I don’t," Deutch said, whose district includes Parkland, Fla., the place that the shooting occurred. "The shift to arming teachers is a distraction."
"It is a distraction from the important discussion about all of the things that you can try at this time recently when you settle for Washington on mental health, banning bump stocks, universal criminal record searches, preventing people around the terror watch list from getting guns," Deutch said. "Those aren’t controversial. Everyone supports them."
Trump floated taking that approach this morning in the listening session on gun violence with the White House. "When you had an instructor who had been good at firearms, that will very well end the attack in a short time,” he explained.
Mast said Sunday he believed there is "room" to the conversation.
"One can find great candidates with regard to former Marines, former police individuals that actually have concealed carry permits," Mast said. "We’ve got to be mindful from it undoubtedly, because teachers are people, too." Some teachers, he explained, could be "the proper candidates" to carry guns.
After a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Secondary school, obama tweeted support for changes towards the gun laws.
"We’re strongly pushing Comprehensive Criminal record searches by having an focus on Mental Health. Raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks! Congress is due to a mood to finally make a move about this issue – Hopefully!" Trump tweeted.
Deutch said Congress will soon get yourself a briefing with the FBI about the red flags missed that led to the shooting.
