The Trump administration will forge ahead with its plan to arm and train teachers and other school employees, the White House told reporters Sunday night.
That training will be implemented through local officials with funding from the Justice Department, the White House said.
The administration will also respond to calls for addressing school shootings by forming a federal commission to examine other proposals. While the Sunday night announcement appeared to indicate Trump has backed off his early support for raising the age to purchase certain firearms—a proposal the NRA has vociferously opposed—the commission would consider the idea.
The Federal Commission on School Safety will be led by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the White House said. At a rally the night before, Trump had blasted these types of commissions as offering no real solutions to problems, according to the New York Times.
The White House also said that Trump would encourage states to focus on plans to restrict those with mental health problems from obtaining firearms and that he would press Congress to pass a very limited bill, backed by the NRA, that would improve reporting to the national background check system.
The White House also said it would explore other topics, such as violence in video games and media coverage of school shootings. And, the White House said, the administration would “support the transition” of veterans and retired police officers going into education.
The formal plans will be released Monday, the White House said.
