The Avengers actor Samuel L. Jackson mocked President Donald Trump’s suggestion that teachers should be armed to prevent school shootings. In a Twitter post that has gone viral, Jackson called Trump a “m*thaf***a” and pointed out that the president has “never been in a gunfight.”
The Pulp Fiction star’s criticism came after Trump repeatedly suggested that teachers should be trained and allowed to carry concealed weapons to deter or stop school shooters.
In a tweet he shared Friday, Jackson joined those saying that Trump’s plan is a very, very bad one.
“Can someone that’s been in a Gunfight tell that M*thaf***a that’s Never been in a Gunfight, the flaws of his Arm The Teachers plan??!!”
President Trump first brought up the concept of training and arming teachers at a White House “listening session” held in the wake of the Parkland school shooting. The event was attended by Vice President Mike Pence, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky, and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Survivors and parents affected by the school shootings in Parkland, Florida, and Newtown, Connecticut, talked about their experiences and called for an end to gun violence.
After listening to the survivors, Trump suggested that the Parkland school shooting could have ended differently if Stoneman Douglas coach Aaron Feis, who was shot and killed while shielding students, was armed.
In the days since the deadly Parkland school shooting, at least 21 other children have been killed by gun violence in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive. https://t.co/CeHmYfMokl pic.twitter.com/QC4TL7oSNY
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2018
“That coach was very brave, saved a lot of lives, I suspect,” the president said, according to The New York Times .
“But if he had a firearm, he wouldn’t have had to run, he would have shot and that would have been the end of it.”
On Thursday, Trump reiterated his suggestion on Twitter , explaining that he wanted to “look at the possibility” of giving “concealed guns” to “adept teachers with military or special training experience.” He wrote that “20% of teachers” would then be able to “immediately fire back if a savage sicko came to a school with bad intentions.” He also suggested that armed teachers would serve as a deterrent to potential shooters.
“A ‘gun free’ school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END!”
Some student survivors of the Parkland school shooting think otherwise. In an interview on MSNBC , Marjory Stoneman Douglas High student and shooting survivor David Hogg spoke out against arming teachers and pointed out that having an armed deputy at the school didn’t stop the suspect from killing 17 people and wounding many others.
Scot Peterson, a Broward County Sheriff’s deputy and resource officer at Stoneman Douglas, has been heavily criticized since it emerged that he failed to enter the school and defend students after the suspect began to open fire. Three other officers reportedly arrived at the scene but also failed to stop the shooter.
“…I think it’s a good example of if he didn’t take action and four others didn’t, I mean, who does?” Hogg asked.
“Who wants to go down the barrel of an AR-15, even with a glock? And I know that’s what these police officers are supposed to do, but they’re people too.”
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has confirmed that Peterson was outside the school building during the attack but did not go in. He was armed and in uniform. According to the Sun Sentinel , Peterson resigned and subsequently retired Thursday after he was suspended amid an investigation.
David Hogg on deputy who didn’t enter school: ‘I know that’s what these police officers are supposed to do, but they’re people, too.’ https://t.co/MRq8X7fktb
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 25, 2018