NRA: 'Put Armed Police Officers In Every Single School'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The nation's largest gun-rights lobbying group responded for the first time Friday since the elementary school massacre in Connecticut a week ago.
"I call on Congress today, to act immediately to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation," said Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
According to LaPierre, the NRA believes the best solution to stop school shootings is to have a trained person with a gun inside every American school.
Breaking The Silence
After a week of silence, the NRA roared, questioning why students don't have the same protections as banks.
LaPierre insisted that more guns-- and not more gun laws-- would make schools safer.
"The only way to stop a monster from killing our kids is to be personally involved and invested in a plan of absolute protection," he said. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
Billed as a press conference, the event didn't offer a time for questions. LaPierre, however, was interrupted twice by pro-gun control protesters.
LaPierre blamed the media for "demonizing gun owners," violent video games and movies, and the government, which he said is not enforcing gun laws.
Armed Guards In Every School
"Why is the idea of a gun good when it's used to protect the president of our country or our police, but bad when it's used to protect our children in our schools?" LaPierre said. "They're our kids. They're our responsibility. And it's not just our duty to protect them, it's our right to protect them."
The NRA conference came on the one week anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre, and another day of funerals for its 26 victims.
Lawmakers in Washington, pushing for new gun restrictions, reacted to the NRA speech with a mixture of alarm and disbelief.
Vice President Joe Biden is heading up a task force looking for ways to reduce gun violence.
Among the possibilities are:
-- An assault weapons ban.
-- Tougher registration laws.
-- Restricting high capacity ammunition clips
How Much Might Armed Guards Cost?
The U.S. Department of Education says there are about 100,000 public and 33,000 private schools in the United States. Placing one paid security guard in every school would cost about $7 billion a year.
If only public schools were armed, it would cost about $5.4 billion.
