Arming teachers and other school personnel is a "significant deterrent" against would-be school shooters, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Newsmax Thursday, two days after a gunman killed 19 children and their two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
"I think that the program we voted on when I was in the Senate, I think it was 2013, we put together a guardianship program and a marshal program where teachers can be trained to defend the school," said the Texas Republican on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
He explained that the marshal program is more intensive than the guardian program, but with schools that have had the programs in place, "there has not been a single school that has had an attack like this. I think it is a significant deterrent for sure to walk into a school and have no idea who has a gun and who doesn't."
Paxton said he also agrees that social media companies need to do more to make authorities aware of red flags that could point to violent acts, but they are "not wanting to be cooperative on these issues."
"They like to control what they do, and they have not been open and forthright in sharing information like this with authorities," said Paxton. "I think it's a shame because they could voluntarily do it, and it's unfortunate that Congress is having to try to force them to do it."
Meanwhile, with shooter Salvador Ramos killed at the scene, it may never be understood exactly why he slaughtered children and their teachers, said Paxton.
"I think from here you go and you meet with people that are associated with him, that knew him and try to maybe come up with clues as to why he did this because obviously understanding that is helpful in the future and trying to prevent this," he added.
Ramos went to the school while fleeing police after having shot his grandmother in the face, and as she survived, Paxton said she may have information for the investigators.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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