‘‘You don’t know until you’re tested but I think I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon and I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too,’’ Trump said at a White House meeting.
He again found fault with the officers who didn’t stop the gunman who carried out the massacre. ‘‘They really weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners,’’ he added.
Under pressure to act to stem gun violence on school grounds, Trump solicited input from the state chief executives during meetings Monday at the White House. The governors are in Washington for their annual winter meeting.
‘‘Our nation is heartbroken. We continue to mourn the loss of so many precious and innocent young lives,’’ Trump said during a meeting with 39 governors. ‘‘But we’ll turn our grief into action. We have to have action.’’
Seventeen students and teachers were killed in a Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sparking a public outcry for new gun-control measures as well as action to improve school safety.
Conferring with governors, Trump said his calls for the arming of teachers wasn’t a universal one, instead likening it to taking advantage of educators with athletic talents to provide additional protection within schools.
‘‘The headline was Trump wants all teachers to have guns. Trump wants teachers to have guns. I don’t want teachers to have guns,’’ the president said. ‘‘I want highly-trained people that have a natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golf ball or putting.’’