President Donald Trump on Monday said he would have run into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting earlier this month — even if he didn't have a gun.

Trump was responding to reports that an armed deputy on campus never intervened in the shooting.

Trump has proposed several measures to combat gun violence in schools.



President Donald Trump on Monday said he would have run into a Florida high school during this month's shooting even if he didn't have a weapon.

"I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon," Trump said at a meeting with state governors.

"I really believe I would have," he added, according to the White House press pool. "You never know until you're tested."

Trump was responding to reports that Scot Peterson, the deputy who resigned Thursday amid pressure from the Broward County Sheriff's Office, never entered the site of the massacre as the shooting was taking place even though he had a weapon.

Trump called Peterson's behavior "disgusting." He also criticized the nonresponse of law-enforcement officials who received tips about the suspect before the shooting.

"The only worse job is they didn't nab this guy earlier," Trump said.

A student named Brandon Huff described Peterson's inaction on Miami's WSVN.

"The school resource officer was behind a stairwell wall, just standing there, and he had his gun drawn, and he was just pointing it at the building," Huff said. "Shots started going off inside, and you could hear them going off over and over again."

Trump's varied proposals on gun safety

Since the shooting, Trump has proposed a variety of measures to combat gun violence, including stronger background checks, raising the federal age at which people can buy rifles to 21, banning bump stocks, and arming teachers in the classroom.

"Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them," Trump tweeted Saturday. "Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States."

Trump argued Friday for his proposal to arm some teachers, arguing that posting armed police officers in schools wouldn't work because they don't "love the children" the same way.

At Monday's meeting with governors, Trump reiterated his commitment to get rid of bump stocks, with or without congressional help.

"I don't care if Congress doesn't" act, he said. "We're getting rid of it."

Trump also praised the National Rifle Association during the meeting. Even though the NRA diverges with him on several gun-safety measures he has proposed, he said he had a positive lunch with key members of the group over the weekend.

"Don't worry about the NRA," he told those in attendance. "They're on our side."