President Donald Trump criticized active shooter drills for students in schools, publicly contradicting a Florida education official on Thursday.
During a White House discussion with education and law enforcement officials, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Pam Stewart proposed that schools should have monthly active shooter drills for students, just like they do fire drills.
“I think that’s a very negative thing to be talking about, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I don’t like it. I’d much rather have a hardened school.”
The president said that he did not want children thinking regularly that a shooter might come into the school.
“I wouldn’t want to tell my son, ‘You are going to participate in an active shooter drill,’” Trump said. “I know some of them actually call it that. I think it is crazy. I think it’s very bad for children.”
Trump repeated his call for teachers and school officials who are experienced with firearms to have access to a gun in schools.
He proposed giving “bonuses” to teachers who receive gun training.
Trump referred to the shooter as a “sicko” and a “coward” and called for an end to “gun-free zones.”
“It is such a target for the killer,” he said. “They look for a gun-free zone because, believe it or not, they don’t want to get killed.”