President Trump says armed teacher would have 'shot the hell' out of gunman

WASHINGTON (KGO) -- President Donald Trump is defending his proposal to arm many teachers and more guards at schools.

"A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened," said Trump, referring to the gunman who killed 17 students and faculty at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.

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He says allowing guns at schools can prevent the next rampage.

"When we declare our schools to be Gun Free Zones it puts our students in far more danger," said Trump.

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The president spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on Friday morning.

His speech came at the end of a week that included meetings with students and teachers and state and local officials on ways to bolster school safety and address gun violence.

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"I don't want to have 100 guards standing with riffles all over the school", said Trump. "You do a concealed carry permit."

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ABC News contributed to this report.