Mitch McConnell says he doesn't think much can be done in Congress to stop school shootings

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Students talk gun violence on Capitol Hill Students affected by gun violence from Florida to Illinois had their voices heard on Capitol Hill Wednesday. They took part in a Democratic led House of Representatives Gun Violence Prevention Forum. (May 23)

After months of continued debate about the tightening of gun laws after children were gunned down, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a crowd in Kentucky on Tuesday there was very little that Congress could do to prevent such tragedies.

McConnell, talking to a group of community leaders in the central Kentucky city of Danville, said the most likely way to stop school shootings like the tragedy at a Florida high school in February that left 17 people dead is to increase school security, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

"I don’t think at the federal level there’s much that we can do other than appropriate funds," he said, according to the newspaper.

The February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland led to a new call for gun-control measures but Republicans, including McConnell, were quick to reject calls to tighten restrictions.

Instead, Republicans offered money to better secure schools and plans to train employees to carry guns on campuses. McConnell told the crowd that securing schools is the most likely way to stop the attacks, which also included a shooting in January in Kentucky that left two 15-year-old students dead.

Parkland student sounds off on gun laws Simon Hoo is a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He's displeased with the new gun laws signed in Florida and ready to take a stand.

"You would think, given how much it takes to get on an American plane or given how much it takes to get into courthouses, that this might be something that we could achieve, but I don’t think we could do that from Washington, I think it’s basically a local decision,” he said.

Gun-control activists and Democrats have argued that shootings don't just target schools, but theaters, nightclubs, concerts, workplaces and areas around the country. They say the problem won't be solved by making schools more secure, but rather by tightening gun laws.

The easiest solution, they say, is for Congress to tighten laws, such as expanding background checks, raising the age for certain weapons — and banning the use of high-powered rifles such as the AR-15.

McConnell's comments were almost instantly criticized on social media.

Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, you are demonstrably wrong. You are either lazy, do not care, or simply evil. You can't do anything when you do not try and you have failed. Based on these comments, YOU SHOULD RESIGN!!!#OrangeWaveInNovember.https://t.co/RY0E1NqOt0 — Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) July 3, 2018

"You are demonstrably wrong," Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter, Jamie, in the school shooting in Parkland, Fla, said on Twitter. "You are either lazy, do not care, or simply evil. You can't do anything when you do not try."

Guttenberg called for McConnell to resign.