Donald Trump on guns: Arm teachers to stop repeat of school massacres like Florida

Donald Trump has suggested arming teachers could stop further mass school shootings as he met with tearful survivors of the Florida massacre.

His “listening session” with the students follows the country’s latest deadly gun attack in which former pupil Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people.

Survivors of the Valentine’s Day massacre, along with parents of the children killed in shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary and Columbine High School, pleaded for a change in US gun laws as they met the president at the White House.

Mr Trump promised “very strong” background checks at schools and said he supported allowing specially trained teachers to carry concealed weapons in a bid to prevent more horrifying school shootings.

"If you had a teacher who was adept with the firearm, they could end the attack very quickly," he said, adding that schools could arm up to 20 per cent of its teachers to stop "maniacs" trying to attack them.

"This would be obviously only for people who were very adept at handling a gun, and it would be, it's called concealed carry, where a teacher would have a concealed gun on them.

“They'd go for special training and they would be there and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.”

Mr Trump was also condemned by fellow politicians for holding a cue card reminding him to offer sympathy when meeting the survivors.

The US leader proposed getting rid of gun-free zones across the country, claiming they encourage shooters to attack “because bullets aren’t coming back” at them.

Speaking at the meeting in the State Dining Room, Cary Gruber, father of a pupil at the school in Parkland that was attacked last week, told Mr Trump: "It's not left and right… if you can't buy a beer, shouldn't be able to buy a gun.”

Parkland student Sam Zeif told how he send a text to his close family during the shooting to say he would not see them again, before realising his 13-year-old brother was in the classroom above him where teacher Scott Beigel died shielding students from Cruz’s bullets.

The 18-year-old said: "I don't understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an AR. Let's never let this happen again.”

The student body president at the Florida high school Julia Cordover tearfully told Mr Trump that she "was lucky enough to come home from school”, adding: "I am confident you will do the right thing”.

Students from the Florida also this week descended on the state capital of Tallahassee to demand a ban on assault-style rifles. The students were tearful as they arrived to be welcomed with waves, cheers and sombre applause from fellow teens.

We're here to make sure this never happens again," Diego Pfeiffer, a senior at Stoneman, told the crowd.

It came on the same day the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives rebuffed a bid to bring up a bill to block sales of assault-style rifles in the state.

"I am not going back to school until lawmakers, and the president, change this law," said Tyra Hemans, 19, who travelled to the state capital.

"Three people I looked to for advice and courage are gone but never forgotten, and for them, I am going to our state capital to tell lawmakers we are tired and exhausted of stupid gun laws," he added.