Nicholas Cruz, the perpetrator of the February 14 massacre at a Florida school, will appear in court today, as the controversy continues in the United States between the proponents and opponents of the gun ownership.
Cruz, 19, killed 14 students and three teachers at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, a wealthy suburb of Fort Lauderdale, using an AR-15 semi-automatic weapon. Authorities allege that the perpetrator bought the weapon illegally when he was 18 years old.
The massacre has shocked American society and sparked heated debate among politicians in the country, where many Republican officials have in the past blocked efforts to tighten gun laws, in part because of concerns about retaliation from the powerful NRA lobby. which financially supports the party.
US President Donald Trump, who advocates for Americans' right to bear arms, has come under pressure to show that he is responding to public concerns following the recent tragedy without alienating Republicans who oppose gun restrictions.
On Monday, Trump met with 35 governors and called on them to ignore NRA pressure. "Do not worry about the NRA. "He is on our side," he said. "If they are not with you, you have to fight them one by one. Does not matter. "They are doing what they think is right."
The American president has expressed his support for the call for teachers to bear arms, but also for the tightening of historical controls on those who wish to buy weapons, something that the NRA has traditionally opposed.
The NRA is also opposed to raising the age limit for buying weapons.
The White House said yesterday that Trump was considering the issue, while he himself avoided making any reference to it during his meeting with the governors.
The American president, on the other hand, explained that he believes that the presence of armed teachers in schools is the most effective way to protect students and discourage would-be attackers.
The governor of Washington, Jay Isley Democrat, however, explained to the American president that the teachers in his State do not want to bear arms.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said more than 100 school districts in his state had trained teachers and other school staff to take up arms and respond to attacks.
Florida plans to invest $ 500 million to have a significant police presence in every public school in the state, Gov. Rick Scott said.
Trump reiterated his criticism of Parkland's police officers, who did not intervene while the attack was under way, after specifically calling a police officer on duty at the school a "coward."
"These are not exactly people we would award medals to. The way they reacted was honestly disgusting "he underlined and then added:" The way they reacted is a shame ".
Donald Trump even assured that he would not hesitate to rush "even without a gun" to the high school in Florida in order to prevent the armed attack.
"I really think I would go back in there even without a gun and I think the majority of citizens would react accordingly," the tycoon said.
In addition, the US President noted that the authorities should better handle the warnings regarding people who show violent tendencies, just as happened in the case of the 19-year-old perpetrator who shed blood in the Florida school.