The United States' largest gun rights lobby says it wants to address gun violence by placing armed police officers in every school in America.
The chief executive for the powerful National Rifle Association held a press conference Friday, one week after 26 people were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The NRA's Wayne LaPierre said that tragedies like the Newtown massacre can be prevented by armed security, adding that “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” He also blamed the movies and video games for exposing U.S. children to a violent culture.
The NRA news conference was disrupted twice by protesters who blame the group for gun violence. One protester held up a banner to the cameras that said, “NRA killing our kids.”
The press conference came hours after President Barack Obama and other Americans paused to remember those lost in the attack. Church bells rang in Newtown and other U.S. towns and cities as mourners stood in silence Friday morning.
Authorities say Adam Lanza killed his mother, then went to the elementary school, killing 20 children and six adults before taking his own life.
The attack at Sandy Hook Elementary was the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history.
After the attack, President Obama said action is needed to prevent such a tragedy in the future. He has called on Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004. The gunman in the Newtown attack used a military-style weapon.
Vice President Joe Biden is leading a government effort to find solutions to gun violence, including consulting with mental health and legal experts.
Families on Friday said their final farewells to their loved ones, as the somber task of holding funerals for the victims continued.
The worst U.S. school shooting occurred in 2007, when a gunman opened fire at a Virginia university, killing 32 people before taking his own life.