Rubio breaks with Trump, doesn’t support arming teachers

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday night said he opposes arming teachers with weapons to prevent future school shootings, hours after President Trump indicated his administration would look into the idea. 

“I don’t support that, and I would admit to you right now I answer that as much as a father as I do as a senator. The notion that my kids are going to school with teachers that are armed with a weapon is not something that, quite frankly, I’m comfortable with,” Rubio said at a CNN town hall event in the aftermath of last week’s Florida high school shooting.

{mosads}Rubio added that the idea has “practical problems.” For example, in the middle of a crisis it could be unclear if a teacher has a weapon whether they are a threat, he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump met with parents, students and family members with a connection to past school shootings, including survivors of the Florida shooting last week.

One parent brought up the idea of arming teachers and administrators with concealed guns, which Trump said, “is certainly a point we will discuss.” He then asked for a show of hands in the room to see who supported such a proposal.

“If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, that could very well end the attack very quickly,” Trump said. “We’re going to be looking at that very strongly. And I think a lot of people are going to be opposed to it. I think a lot of people are going to like it.”

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., have spoken out in recent days after a gunman opened fire in their school on Feb. 14. The students have called on lawmakers to enact legislation that would curb gun violence and prevent school shootings.