Washington (CNN) In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting in late 2012, a new saying became popular among gun rights advocates: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." (The phrase is widely credited to National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre.)

The logic behind the saying goes like this: In an era of mass shootings, the best (only?) defense is to be armed yourself. Shooting back at a shooter may be your only chance at living through such an incident. We need more good people with guns -- not fewer.

Which brings us to Tuesday afternoon in Seoul, South Korea where President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter whether he might support "extreme vetting for people trying to buy a gun" in the wake of the Texas church shooting on Sunday that left 26 people dead

"You're bringing up a situation that probably shouldn't be discussed too much right now. We could let a little time go by. It's OK if you feel that's an appropriate question even though we're in the heart of South Korea. I will certainly answer your question. If you did what you're suggesting, there would have been no difference three days ago, and you might not have had that very brave person who happened to have a gun or a rifle in his truck go out and shoot him, and hit him and neutralize him. I can only say this: If he didn't have a gun, instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead. So that's the way I feel about it. Not going to help."