NRA Statement: Armed Police Needed in Schools
The NRA has released an official statement regarding the shootings that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary. The organization has concluded that the most effective way to ensure safer schools is through armed police officers.
The National Rifle Association, one of the largest gun advocacy groups within the United States, held a press conference on Friday morning to address the aftermath that has arisen over gun control following the elementary school shooting that resulted in 27 deaths.
"Out of respect for those grieving families, and until the facts are known, the NRA has refrained from comment," NRA President Wayne LaPierre stated. "Now, we must speak ... for the safety of our nation's children."
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The organization argued that politicians working to make schools "gun-free zones" have instead told "every insane killer in America that schools are the safest place to inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk." His solution is for schools to employee armed police officers.
"As parents, we do everything we can to keep our children safe. It is now time for us to assume responsibility for their safety at school," LaPierre stated. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."
The organization blamed Federal prosecution for failing to punish dangerous criminals and a "corrupt industry" of video games.
"There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people," LaPierre continued. "Through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse. And here's one: it's called Kindergarten Killers. It's been online for 10 years."
LaPierre also accused the media of promoting guns as "bad" when in other cases, many would regard them as "good," such as for use by the Secret Service when protecting the President.
"I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school- and to do it now, to make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to school in January," LaPierre said in a final statement. "That's a plan of action that can, and will, make a real, positive and indisputable difference in the safety of our children - starting right now."
The organization deferred all questions following the conference until Monday.
President Obama has supported plans to pass a bill that would prohibit the ownership of assault weapons.
