WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed today issued the following statement in response to the White House’s “school safety” plan that focuses on arming teachers:

“President Trump’s illogical school safety plan would make schools less safe.  Our teachers should be educators, not armed guards, and the Trump plan to increase the number of guns in schools is way off target. 

“The Trump Administration beat a hasty retreat from the President’s pledge to strengthen criminal background checks and raise the minimum age for buying certain types of guns nationwide. 

“Congress shouldn’t wait for the Secretary DeVos’s commission.  It should seize this moment to enact sensible, bipartisan legislation to strengthen background checks, reinstate the assault weapons ban, and lift the ban on federal gun violence research. 

“While most of the President’s plan is unworkable, one area of bipartisan agreement may be around Extreme Risk Protection Order laws, commonly referred to as “red flags.”  I agree with Rhode Island Police Chiefs and Governor Raimondo that a reasonable red flag law could be an important step in the right direction.  I am working on a bipartisan basis to provide federal support for this idea.

“We should also dedicate more resources to fixing our schools and ensuring all kids can go to school in a safe and positive learning environment.  And we can help teachers do their jobs by supporting them and giving them the training to help reach kids in the classroom.”