JD Vance in The Associated Press

On Families & Children: School shootings are a fact of life: harden security

Asked what can be done to stop school shootings, he said further restricting access to guns, as many Democrats advocate, won't end them, noting they happen in states with both lax and strict gun laws. He touted efforts in Congress to give schools more money for security.

"I don't like that this is a fact of life," Vance said. "But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools."

He called the shooting in Georgia an "awful tragedy," and said the families need prayers and sympathy.