Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) said on Tuesday that it’s “time to have a discussion” about arming school officials, in wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. “If someone had been armed, there would have been a possibility to stop the person from coming into the school,” McDonnell said on Washington’s WTOP radio’s “Ask the Governor” monthly program responding to a caller’s question. “I know there is a knee-jerk reaction against that, but I think we should have a discussion about it.” He continued: “If a person [like Sandy Hook’s principal Dawn Hochsprung] was armed and trained, could they have stopped the carnage? Perhaps.” But McDonnell said that while lawmakers should discuss gun-control policies and mental illness, it’s also important not to “overreact.” “The key is don’t over-react. Don’t react when you’re emotional because your policies might not be right. The key is looking at what works,” he said. McDonnell also said he’s not sure a mandatory gun registration system would be effective. “A lengthy system of registering firearms, I don’t know if that would work. It’s really hard on me to comment on the multiple suggestions that are coming out. I can’t tell you whether gun registration would work. It might make people feel good and feel safe, but I’m interested in what will work,” he said. McDonnell’s spokesman Paul Logan told POLITICO that McDonnell announced Monday he was creating a task force to review the safety at Virginia’s schools. “The governor has called for a thoughtful and thorough review of Virginia school safety policies. His only goal is to ensure that we are doing everything humanly possible to keep our children, young people and educators safe while they are in the classroom,” Logan said. “Any policy changes will be based on facts, what works and will be made in consultation with education officials, public safety officials and others.” © 2012 POLITICO LLC I feel like that's the direction we should be going.
