President Trump on Monday blasted officers with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for not entering Stoneman Douglas High School after hearing shots fired inside the building on February 14, a day that ended with 14 students and 3 faculty members dead, adding that he believes he would have gone into the school himself, even if he hadn’t been armed.
Trump laid out his plan for improving school safety and strengthening background checks in a press briefing Monday, saying part of his plan will include banning bump stocks and allowing trained teachers and faculty to carry concealed weapons on school property.
“This includes allowing well-trained and certified school personnel to carry a concealed firearm,” Trump explained.
“I got to watch some deputy sheriffs performing this week, and they weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners, alright? The way they performed was, frankly, disgusting," he said.
"I really believe – you don’t know until you’re tested – but I really believe I’d run in there, even if I didn’t have a weapon,” Trump continued. “And I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too, because I know most of you. But the way that they performed was really a disgrace.”
President Trump on the Florida school shooting response by law enforcement: “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon” https://t.co/lo1WA68UVI pic.twitter.com/n8CtZMxa8o
— CNN (@CNN) February 26, 2018
Video surveillance footage shows an armed school resource officer with the Broward County Sheriff's Office assigned to the school that day took up a position outside the building for four minutes without entering the school, even as shots echoed inside the building. CNN reported that at least three more deputies responded to the incident, but did not engage the shooter.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who's spent the better part of two weeks blasting the NRA and its 5 million-plus members for being complicit in the murders, has denied any responsibility for the failure of his department.