“If we don’t do that, then all the rest of this is nothing more than political posturing for the 2018 midterms and the 2020 election,” conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said. | AP Photo Limbaugh: ‘We need concealed carry’ in schools

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh called for concealed carry in U.S. schools on Sunday in response to the deadly shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 and injured several others.

“The solution is we need concealed carry in these schools,” Limbaugh said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “If we’re not going to take action, we better have mechanisms in these schools to stop it when it breaks out.”


Democratic officials and some Republicans responded to the fatal shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday by calling for tighter regulations on guns. But many Republican leaders have downplayed the need for additional laws, with President Donald Trump and other officials instead emphasizing the need for mental health reform.

But Limbaugh suggested Sunday that to prevent more mass casualties, open concealed carry laws should be extended on school campuses.

“If we don’t do that, then all the rest of this is nothing more than political posturing for the 2018 midterms and the 2020 election,” Limbaugh said of the measure.

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Limbaugh and other right-wing commentators in the past have suggested that if school officials or students were armed, casualties during mass shootings could be reduced.

Suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz confessed to opening fire on students and staffers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, according to a police report released Thursday.

The suspected shooter, authorities said, used an AR-15 assault-style rifle during his deadly spree. He has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

The onslaught marked the 30th mass shooting in 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Measures to expand gun regulations have repeatedly stalled in Congress, facing strong opposition in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.