President Joe Biden does not support “hardening schools” against possible school shooters after the massacre at a Texas elementary school last week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
“I know there have been conversations about the hardening of schools, that’s not something he believes in,” Jean-Pierre told reporters at a White House news conference. “He believes we need to be able to give teachers the resources to be able to do their job.”
Jean-Pierre’s comments came as Biden vowed to meet with congressional leaders on possible bipartisan legislation to tackle armed violence after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two adults in a school shooting Robb primary in Uvalde.
Led by Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, a bipartisan group of 10 senators hopes to negotiate a gun proposal during the next Senate recess, with ideas that include extended background checks or red-flag laws that keep guns out of the way. hands of potentially dangerous people. .
Republican lawmakers have backed the “hardening” of schools by providing money for more security resources, law enforcement or even arming teachers.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden does not support offering money to schools for more security resources, law enforcement or even arming teachers. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Murphy told The Associated Press on Thursday that he was “open” to increasing school security, but Democrats have been adamant against providing weapons to teachers. They have also argued that increasing security alone is not far enough to protect students.
The president said Monday that he had not yet spoken to Republican leaders on areas of possible compromise, even though a week had passed since the tragedy.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Told reporters Tuesday that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are “discussing how we can unite and address the issue, which is mental illness and school safety “.
McConnell would not accept questions from reporters. Everyone wanted to ask him about a possible action on guns.
However, before getting in the car, he said briefly that Democrats and Republicans are discussing how they could come together to “steer the issue.” @ LEX18News pic.twitter.com/uUQiQ8ApGs
– Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) May 31, 2022
Last week, McConnel said Republicans are open to reforms that address “directly” the Uvalde massacre, which was committed by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos with legally purchased AR-15 rifles.
Jean-Pierre on Tuesday rejected the idea that America is the only country suffering from widespread mental health problems that are causing rampant violence.
“We are the only country facing armed violence at the rate we are dealing with, and other countries have mental health issues. So what’s the problem here?” said Jean-Pierre. “The problem is with guns and not having legislation to really deal with a problem that is a pandemic here in this country.”
Senator Chris Murphy supports measures to extend background checks or red-flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous people.AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Late Tuesday night, the White House returned to Jean-Pierre’s statements that the president did not believe in “hard schools.”
“Karine was referring to the proposals of some Republican lawmakers to arm teachers. The president does not believe that arming teachers is the solution: they should focus on doing their job and we should provide them with the support and funding that they need it, “a White House official told The Post.
“It’s important for schools to think through their safety plans, and after Sandy Hook, the then vice president developed models of emergency school safety plans, and he believes they should follow comprehensive, evidence-based plans.”
When Biden returned Monday from a weekend that included a visit to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, he suggested putting restrictions on high-caliber weapons, including the 9mm pistol, the most popular weapon in the U.S.
Later in his statements, Biden seemed to rule out the possibility of taking major enforcement action on weapons.
“I can’t dictate these things. I can do the things I’ve done and any executive action I can take, I’ll keep taking. But I can’t ban a weapon. I can’t, you know, change background checks. I can’t do that.” .
Any new gun legislation faces its biggest hurdle in the Senate, where Democrats only have 50 seats, meaning 10 Republican votes are needed to clear the 60-vote threshold for most bills.
With laying cables