We talked earlier about Democratic responses to the massacre in Newtown, Conn., during discussions on the Sunday shows yesterday, but Republican policymakers had some thoughts of their own on the subject. Though GOP senators were reluctant to appear on "Meet the Press," Americans got to see Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) on "Fox News Sunday."
For those who can't watch clips online, Gohmert said of the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, "I wish to god she had had an M-4 in her office, locked up so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out and she didn't have to lunge heroically with nothing in her hands, but she takes him out, takes his head off before he can kill those precious kids."
This is the same lawmaker who said, after the massacre in Aurora, Colo., "It does make me wonder, with all those people in the theater, was there nobody that was carrying a gun that could have stopped this guy more quickly?"
Before you dismiss this as more nonsense from a nutty congressman who few take seriously, it's worth noting that on "Meet the Press," William Bennett, a former Secretary of Education, also talked up the notion of arming officials. "I'm not so sure I wouldn't want one person in a school armed, ready for this kind of thing," Bennett said, adding, "Has to be someone who's trained. Has to be someone who's responsible."
I can only hope that if Friday's tragedy does spark a larger national conversation, we can explore how truly amazing it is to hear prominent conservative voices arguing that elementary schools need well-armed officials standing by, just in case.
For his part, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) also appeared on Fox News, where he chastised "the entertainment culture," most notably the violence found in "video games and movies." He added, "We've got to ask the entertainment industry, 'What are you going to do to try to tone that down?'"