A police officer will be stationed at every public school in Florida, the state’s governor announced Friday as part of a plan to improve security following last week’s deadly high school shooting. President Donald Trump repeated his call, meanwhile, for arming some of America’s teachers and claimed the controversial proposal was increasingly drawing support. The push to make schools safer came as the local sheriff’s office released details of nearly two dozen visits to the residences of Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old behind the assault at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida. Speaking at a news conference in the state capital Tallahassee, Republican Governor Rick Scott unveiled a $450 million security plan in response to the Valentine’s Day rampage. “There is nothing more important than the safety of our children,” Scott said. “We must take care of our kids.” “I am proposing at least one law enforcement officer for every 1,000 students,” Scott said of putting police in public schools. Asked about Trump’s proposal that teachers carry concealed weapons, Scott replied: “My focus is on providing more law enforcement officers, not on arming the teachers.” Scott proposed a ban on “bump stocks” — an accessory which turns a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic one — and making it easier for courts “to prohibit a violent or mentally ill person from purchasing or possessing a firearm.” Scott also said the age for gun buyers in the state would be raised from 18 to 21 — a move opposed by the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby. The governor stopped short, however, of endorsing a ban on assault weapons — a demand of many of the teenagers who survived the shooting at Stoneman Douglas that left 14 of their classmates and three staff dead. “I know there are some who are advocating a mass takeaway of Second Amendment rights for all Americans,” Scott said — referring to America’s constitutional right to bear arms. “That is not the answer.” “Keeping guns away from dangerous people and people with mental issues is what we need to do,” he said. Published in Daily Times, February 25th 2018.