Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is urging retired and former service members to voluntarily help bolster security in schools across the United States in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
In a lengthy thread posted to Twitter on June 3, the Republican senator said former military personnel and experienced instructors from the Reserve officers’ training corps (ROTC) could drastically help improve overall safety at schools.
I will be working to create a certification process that allows former military members to go through school security training and become available to school districts throughout the country.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 3, 2022
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Schools should be treated like courthouses, banks, capital buildings, etc when it comes to security.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 3, 2022
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“We have hundreds of thousands of well-trained former military members who could bring a lot to the table in terms of school security. ROTC instructors with firearms training should be allowed to possess weapons to enhance school security,” Graham wrote.
The South Carolina lawmaker said he’s working on creating a “certification process” that will allow former military members to go through school security training and then make themselves voluntarily available at school districts throughout the country.
Graham did not provide further details as to exactly how the voluntary program or certification process would work. The Epoch Times has contacted his office for comment.
“It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members who are willing to help secure our schools,” Graham added in a follow-up post. “Our schools are soft targets. They contain our most valuable possession—our children, the future of our country—and must be protected.”
“Schools should be treated like courthouses, banks, capital buildings, etc. when it comes to security,” he added.
Graham is one of five Republicans in talks with Democrats on bipartisan gun safety legislation in response to a series of shootings nationwide, including the Uvalde massacre of 19 children and two teachers, and a Buffalo supermarket incident in which 18-year-old Payton Gendron gunned down 10 people.
The latest incidents have reignited talks on gun safety issues as some Democrats call for tighter restrictions surrounding purchasing and possessing guns, while Republicans say such restrictions would infringe on the Second Amendment rights of Americans.
