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President Trump Says He Would Have Run Into Parkland School Shooting, Even Without Weapon
President Trump blasts Broward County Sheriff's deputies who stayed outside the school as the events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unfolded.
During a gathering of United States governors held at the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump boldly declared that he would have stormed into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, even without a weapon.
"You don't know until you test it, but I think, I really believe I'd run in there, even if I didn't have a weapon, and I think most of the people in this room would have done that too," Trump told the group of governors.
He addressed the Broward County Sheriff's deputies, who reportedly remained outside the school as the school shooting unfolded, even more directly. He said the officers "weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners" and that "the way they performed was frankly disgusting. [...] The way they performed was really a disgrace.”
Sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson, who was armed and did not enter the school, resigned last week after being suspended without pay.
A statement from his lawyer cited by NBC News addressed criticism for his actions, and states, “Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need. However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue. Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances…”
During Monday’s meeting with the country’s governors, Trump continued to verbalize that he believes some teachers should be trained in the use of firearms and subsequently armed. He said he only wants "highly trained people that have a natural talent [for shooting], like hitting a baseball, or hitting a golf ball, or putting" to be armed. He then compared gun skills to golf again, stating that "some people always make the 4-footer, and some people under pressure can’t even take their club back."
[Photo: Getty Images]
