Trump campaign vs. Trump administration: on Gun Control

Betsy DeVos: Let local schools decide about guns in school

Betsy DeVos: Schools should have the option to arm teachers

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who chairs a federal commission on school safety, has previously said that schools should have the option to arm teachers. The commission, formed in the aftermath of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people, has been criticized for omitting the topic of gun control.

Nearly six years have passed since the shooting here in Connecticut, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 students and six faculty and staff members were killed in December 2012.

Betsy DeVos: Let states decide on gun training in schools

DeVos disclosed her position in an Aug. 31 letter to Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), following the news that the Education Department was considering a proposal to allow school districts to use federal funds known as Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants for guns and gun-training.

The grants give states "substantial flexibility" on how school districts should use the funds, and federal officials do not have the authority to tell them how the money should be spent, DeVos said in her letter. "Therefore, I will not take any action that would expand or restrict the responsibilities and flexibilities granted to State and local educational agencies by Congress."

Bobby Scott: Guns in schools recklessly endanger both students & teachers

DeVos disclosed her position in an Aug. 31 letter to Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), following the news that the Education Department was considering a proposal to allow school districts to use federal funds known as Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants for guns and gun-training.

Scott, the top Democrat on the House's Committee on Education and the Workforce, said DeVos' announcement would "recklessly endanger both students and educators," adding that it was not Congress' intent to let states decide whether to spend the money on firearms. "It is outrageous that Secretary DeVos will allow federal education funds to be spent putting guns in the classroom," Scott said in a statement.

Donald Trump: End gun-free zones in schools & military bases

Donald Trump: Arm public school employees to prevent school shootings

Florida now joins six other states-GA, KS, SD, TN, TX, and WY--with laws allowing public school employees to carry firearms to work. President Donald Trump has voiced support for the idea, also espoused by the NRA.

Critics have said arming school staff only heightens the risks of gun violence, and poses a particular risk to minority students, who they said were more likely to be shot in the heat of a disciplinary situation or if mistaken as an intruder.

Scott said he remained dissatisfied with the guardian provisions but signed the bill nonetheless, saying it would enhance school safety overall. "I am glad, however, that the plan in this bill is not mandatory, which means it will be up to locally elected officials," Scott said.

Donald Trump: Opposes arming school teachers against school shootings

Critics have said arming school staff only heightens the risks of gun violence, and poses a particular risk to minority students, who they said were more likely to be shot in the heat of a disciplinary situation or if mistaken as an intruder.

Scott said he remained dissatisfied with the guardian provisions but signed the bill nonetheless, saying it would enhance school safety overall. "I am glad, however, that the plan in this bill is not mandatory, which means it will be up to locally elected officials," Scott said.

Donald Trump: Remove weapons from dangerous individuals, not all Americans

Trump tweeted, "THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!"

When asked if Trump had a reaction to Stevens' call for repeal, Trump's press secretary said, "We think that the focus has to remain on removing weapons from dangerous individuals, not on blocking all Americans from their constitutional rights."

Jeff Sessions: As US attorney, led nation in gun prosecutions every year

John Paul Stevens: Weaken the NRA by repealing the Second Amendment

Stevens called for a repeal of the Second Amendment to the Constitution in order to weaken the National Rifle Association's ability to "stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation."

"Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated," Stevens wrote. "These demonstrations demand our respect. They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society."

Stevens argues that a 2008 Supreme Court ruling, District of Columbia v. Heller, was wrongly decided, and "has provided the NRA with a propaganda weapon of immense power."

Scott Pruitt: Double headline - Already Done

In the 2005 recordings, Pruitt also backed a broad interpretation of the Second Amendment's right to bear arms, saying it derives from a divine mandate and thus cannot be limited.

"If you can tell me what gun, type of gun, I can possess, then I didn't really get that right to keep and bear arms from God," he said. "It was not bequeathed to me, it was not unalienable, right?"