US Considers Financing Guns In Schools

The Department of Education is considering allowing states to use federal funds to buy weapons that would be used as a safety measure in schools, which has provoked a storm of criticism. The plan will surely cause great controversy, especially at a time when, following a series of school massacres in the United States, a student movement has arisen in favor of greater restrictions on the purchase, possession and use of weapons.

The government is examining the laws concerning federal funding of state education initiatives to see if the money can be used to buy weapons, an official source told the AP that asked not to be identified. An educational law passed with bipartisan support in 2015 does not expressly prohibit the purchase of weapons for schools, the official said. 

He added that the department has received numerous letters and messages asking him to clarify what federal educational funds can be used for. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, head of a commission charged with studying ways to improve safety in schools in the past, has spoken out in favor of giving schools the option of guns for teachers. 

The commission, created as a result of the school massacre in Parkland, Florida, has been criticized because it does not even consider the option of limiting the possession of weapons. The initiative, initially reported by the New York Times, drew strong criticism from Democrats, industry officials and anti-violence activists. 

They accused the Donald Trump government of depriving students of psychological assistance and other resources, to favor the National Rifle Association, whose members tend to be right-wing and support Republicans.