Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told a crowd of students at the University of Kentucky last week that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., could have been prevented if school employees carried firearms.
"The only thing that probably could have prevented that shooting would have been if the principal had a gun in his [sic] desk or if the teacher had a gun at his [sic] desk," Paul said on March 27, according to WDKY.
Paul later repeated the claim to Eric Bolling, who was guest-hosting Sean Hannity's Fox News program on March 28.
"In fact, the only thing that would have changed the outcome, potentially changed the outcome, is something that so many people don't want to hear, and that's self-defense," Paul said on Fox. "That if someone there had had a concealed carry, if someone had been armed, they might have had a fighting chance. They might not have saved everybody, but they might have been able to save some of those."
Paul is hardly alone in calling for more guns in schools to prevent future mass shootings.
On Tuesday, a task force funded by the National Rifle Association announced a school safety plan that recommends training and arming school employees. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre had previously called for arming the "good guys" in December 2012, shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Education Secretary Bill Bennett and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam -- all Republicans -- have also advocated for more guns in schools.
Meanwhile, a nationwide survey of 10,661 teachers and administrators, conducted online by the School Improvement Network after the Newtown shooting, found that 72 percent of teachers would not bring a firearm to school, even if they were allowed to. A recent poll of National Education Association members showed that 68 percent oppose arming teachers.
Paul previously made headlines on gun control by declaring that he would filibuster any legislation that would "infringe" on Second Amendment rights and by suggesting that he and "half" of his staff have rifles.
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