Trump says he and governors would’ve rushed into high school

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told the nation’s governors on Monday that the country will “turn our grief into action” following the deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school, conferring with state leaders ahead of a push in Congress to respond to the latest carnage.

“We have to have action,” Trump declared.

Addressing the governors in the State Dining Room, Trump again found fault with the officers who didn’t stop the Florida gunman who carried out the massacre, saying they “weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners.” The president suggested that if he or the governors had been in that position, they would have acted. “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 said.

Under pressure to act to stem gun violence on school grounds, Trump solicited input from the state chief executives during meetings Monday at the White House.

“Our nation is heartbroken. We continue to mourn the loss of so many precious and innocent young lives,” Trump said during a meeting with 39 governors. “But we’ll turn our grief into action.”

Seventeen students and teachers were killed in a Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sparking a public outcry for new gun-control measures as well as action to improve school safety.

The president pointed to a number of ideas that he has floated since the shooting, including improving background checks for gun purchases, arming educators and re-opening mental institutions. He has also suggested raising the minimum age for the purchase of assaultstyle weapons along with paying teachers bonuses for carrying concealed weapons as a way of warding off potential shooters.