After school shooting, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says guns are 'part of who we are as a nation'

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption NRA blames media for creating 'monsters' who commit mass shootings On the same day of the horrific shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that left 10 dead and 10 others wounded, Dana Loesch, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association, called out the mainstream Media for quote, “creating” mass shooters. For more on the story here is Zachary Devita.

Two days after the nation's latest school shooting, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday guns are not the problem but "are part of who we are as a nation."

Instead, Patrick offered a list of other options to curb gun violence: arming teachers, analyzing bullying and video games, staggering school start times and altering the layout of the state's 8,000 schools to limit the number of entrances and exits.

"But remember, we cannot sit back and say it’s the gun," he told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week. "It’s us as a nation, George. On this Sunday morning when we all go to church and pray or go to the synagogue or the mosque or wherever we go, let’s look inward at ourself as a nation."

Stephanopoulos fired back: "But when we look inward, sir, aren’t we going to find that guns are more available here in greater numbers, in greater lethality than any other developed country in the world?"

Patrick agreed there are more firearms in the U.S. but said the reality is that "it is our Second Amendment, you know, it talks about a well-run militia, the Second Amendment. Our teachers are part of that well-run militia, by the way. It’s guns that also stop crimes."

Patrick isn't the first to call for arming teachers. He said the state already allows for the measure, but it's up to local school districts, schools and parents to decide whether they will allow it.

More than 170 school districts in Texas have taken advantage of the law, which was enacted after the 2012 massacre at a school in Newtown, Conn.

Patrick also repeated the suggestion he offered after Friday's shooting that killed 10: that school entrances be limited to one or two doors so authorities can better monitor the comings and goings of students, staff and strangers.

Texas Lt. Gov. @DanPatrick tells @gstephanopoulos that guns "are a part of who we are as a nation."



"You know, it talks about a well-run militia – the 2nd Amendment – our teachers are part of that well-run militia, by the way." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/5AYxAcgXdT — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 20, 2018

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Fred Guttenberg, a father who lost his daughter, Jamie, in the Valentine's Day school shooting in Parkland, Fla., was outraged. Guttenberg, who followed Patrick's appearance on ABC, called the comments "idiotic" and said Patrick should be removed from office.

"Let me be clear: He should be removed from office for his failure to want to protect the citizens of Texas," Guttenberg said. "To hear him continue to make the argument after 10 people died in his state that guns are not the issue is simply a crock."

Also on Sunday, the National Rifle Association's incoming president, Oliver North, appeared on Fox News to talk about the shooting and gun rights.

He suggested schools add multiple metal detectors and that the core of the issue was tied to desensitizing violence. He also appeared to link school shootings to students who take prescriptions such as Ritalin.

"The problem that we’ve got is we’re trying like the dickens to treat the symptom without treating the disease. And the disease, in this case, isn’t the Second Amendment. The disease is youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence," North said. "They’ve been drugged in many cases. Nearly all of these perpetrators are male."

He added, "If you look at what has happened to young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten."

Later, North noted while there's "no way" to prevent a firearm from getting in a building, schools should do more to make it harder for a would-be shooter.

"If that means five metal detectors getting in and out of the high school, you get five metal detectors," he said.

While the attack at Santa Fe High School is at least the 20th school shooting of 2018, shooters over the years have targeted everything from nightclubs, churches, concerts to movie theaters.

Gun-control activists such as Nicole Hockley, founder of the Sandy Hook Promise, have pointed out that the increased security inside schools might be a step in the right direction but won't stop these massacres or address the larger issue.

"This isn't just about school shootings. This is about shootings everywhere," said Hockley, whose son, Dylan, was killed in the school shooting in Newtown. "This is happening in every community, every day. And there are actions that we can take. And prayers are very important. Talking about this is very important. Looking at issues around violence is important."

Contributing: Deirdre Shesgreen and John Moritz