Seaford Schools Superintendent Brian Conboy responded to comments from the National Rifle Association Friday that armed guards should be present at every school in America in the wake of the Newton school shootings.
"It is a sad era in American history if this is what it will take to keep innocent children safe while at school," said Conboy. "Even a proposal as drastic as this one is not infallible and would not be guaranteed to prevent the horrible violence we saw in Newtown, Conn. More control over the distribution and possession of weapons coupled with better identification and care for the mentally ill will have a positive and longer lasting impact in my view."
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The NRA, the nation's largest pro-gun lobbying group said they were prepared to offer "meaningful contributions" to help ensure an incident like the mass killings never occur again.
"I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every school — and to do it now, to make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to school in January," Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierrea said Friday, breaking a weeklong silence by the gun organization.
Rep. Peter King, R-Seaford, disagreed with the NRA's position.
"Except in extremely rare cases, armed police are not the answer to school violence," he said. "What we must have are common sense guns laws such as banning assault weapons and ending the gun show loophole."
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This story was updated at 3:54 p.m. on Dec. 21.
