President Donald Trump takes part in a listening session on gun violence with teachers and students in the State Dining Room of the White House, Feb. 21. Trump floated the idea of arming teachers and promised more stringent background checks on gun owners as he hosted an emotional meeting with students who survived last week’s mass shooting at a Florida school. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump said he is looking at the possibility of providing concealed guns to specially trained teachers so as to prevent a shooter going on a rampage inside a school taking the lives of innocent kids, writes Lalit K. Jha.

Among other measures, Trump said he will be strongly pushing for a comprehensive background checks, and increasing the age to 21 and end sale of bump stocks.

Days after 17 people were killed in a school shooting in Florida, Trump said he is seriously looking at various options to end this gun violence.

A day earlier, Trump had met victims, survivors and parents of school shooting along with officials.

Later in the day, he is scheduled to meet State and local officials on school safety.

The president refuted reports that he is proposing giving guns to teachers.

“I never said ‘give teachers guns’ like was stated on Fake News @CNN & @NBC. What I said was to look at the possibility of giving ‘concealed guns to gun adept teachers with military or special training experience – only the best. 20 percent of teachers, a lot, would now be able to immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions,” Trump tweeted, Feb. 22.

“Highly trained teachers would also serve as a deterrent to the cowards that do this. Far more assets at much less cost than guards. A ‘gun free’ school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END! (sic)” asserted the president.

Trump also said that history shows that a school shooting lasts, on average, three minutes.

“It takes police and first responders approximately five to eight minutes to get to site of crime. Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT! (sic)” he said.

“If a potential ‘sicko shooter’ knows that a school has a large number of very weapons talented teachers (and others) who will be instantly shooting, the sicko will NEVER attack that school. Cowards won’t go there…problem solved. Must be offensive, defense alone won’t work!” Trump said.

Trump said he will be strongly pushing Comprehensive Background Checks with an emphasis on Mental Health, raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks. “Congress is in a mood to finally do something on this issue – I hope!” he added.