Rachel Lang
Texas' State Attorney General has suggested giving teachers guns will help reduce mass shootings in the US.
Ken Paxton's comments have sparked fury from the Democrats in the wake of the latest shooting to devastate America, with 19 children and two fourth grade teachers dead.
Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in Texas became the scene of a massacre when a lone gunman entered the campus and opened fire.
The deadliest shooting since 2012's Sandy Hook tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief and anger across the United States and the world.
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It's once again reignited the debate about whether to reform gun laws to make it harder for Americans to purchase and own weapons.
But Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton believes a simple solution to school shootings isn't getting rid of guns, it's getting more.
Speaking to Newsmax, the Texas AG believes there should be more guns in the hands of 'teachers and other administrators who have gone through training and who are armed'.
"First responders typically can't get there in time to prevent a shooting," Paxton said.
"I think you're gonna have to do more at the school, because it typically involves very short periods of time, and you have to have people trained on campus to react."
Texas Senator Ted Cruz echoed his sentiments, telling MSNBC this would be more effective than tightening gun control laws.
"We know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus," Cruz said.
He went on to politicise the murders, adding: "Inevitably, when there's a murder of this kind, you see politicians try to politicise it. You see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens."
Several Democrats have lashed out at Cruz for his remarks.
Arizona's Ruben Gallego tweeted: "F**k you Ted Cruz, you care about a fetus but you will let our children get slaughtered ... You are useless."
Minnesota representative Dean Phillips added in a social media post.: "I'm a gun owner. Do not tell me our Founders conceived of this carnage when they wrote the Constitution.
"Do not tell me they would have tolerated this madness. Do not tell me that teachers must be armed. And do not tell me your AR-15 is worth more than another [19] children's lives."
Investigators are trying to work out what was the motive behind the savage attack.