In wake of frequent school shooting incidents, a safety panel set up by United States President Donald Trump has recommended that schools consider arming staff, using veterans as guards and reversing Obama-era guidelines.
It was the February massacre in Parkland (Florida) when a former student shot dead 17 people, that triggered mass gun control protests following which the Federal Commission on School Safety panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, was set up.
President Donald Trump said one of the nearly 100 recommendations from his administration’s School Safety Commission is an effort to prevent school shooters from capturing the media spotlight.
He said the report proposes “no notoriety” campaigns to encourage the media not to use the names and other information about shooters. That makes the shooters “famous” when they are really “horrible, horrible people,” he said.
He also said it’s critical for highly trained school personnel to have access to firearms because the average duration of an active shooting is less than five minutes.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the commission’s report also recommends fixing mental health laws so families and law enforcement can get immediate treatment to those who need it.
(With AP inputs)