The National Rifle Association is recommending U.S. schools select and train staffers to carry guns.
Former U.S. congressman Asa Hutchinson headed an NRA-funded task force on ways to make schools safer after the December massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.
"Our whole effort is about school safety. So, the impact I hope we have in this news conference and this report, is that we talk about things that will keep children safer in schools, and that is these types of programs," he said.
The recommendations, released Tuesday, include 40 to 60 hours of weapons training for specially-selected school staff members and a mental health program for students.
Mark Matteoli, a parent of one of the children killed in Connecticut, calls the NRA recommendations a real solution that would make students safer. "This is recommendations for solutions: real solutions that will make our kids safer. And that is what we need," he said.
But the American Federation of Teachers union says arming schools would not have stopped the Connecticut massacre and will not keep children safe.
The U.S. Senate is getting ready to debate new gun control laws, including expanding background checks for all potential gun buyers. Polls show 90 percent of Americans support more background checks, which the NRA opposes.
