STATEMENT: CAP’s Chelsea Parsons on the White House Proposal to Arm Teachers

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced plans to move forward on a series of proposals to arm teachers and other school personnel in an effort to “harden” American schools. Chelsea Parsons, vice president of Gun Violence Prevention at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement in response:

Although the president’s plan includes a nod to a few gun safety measures—such as supporting the Fix NICS Act and encouraging states to enact extreme risk protection order legislation—on balance, it is a woefully inadequate response to the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our nation. In fact, by making the centerpiece of this plan an emphasis on putting more guns in schools by arming teachers and school personnel, this administration has made it clear that they were not actually listening during the recent listening sessions—and instead only hear the voice of the gun lobby.

With an average of 96 people killed with guns in the United States every day, we need real leadership in the White House to champion strong laws and policies that have broad support among the American people and would have a real impact on reducing gun violence and saving lives. With this announcement, it is clear that we will need to keep waiting for that leadership.

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