WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump headed Thursday to Texas, where he plans to meet with families of the victims of a school shooting that left 10 people dead.
The White House says he’ll meet with families and community members after the shooting at Santa Fe High School on May 18. Eight students and two substitute teachers were killed.
The president said he would work to improve school safety in the wake of the shooting, but has not called for any new gun control legislation.
After a February school shooting in Florida, Trump briefly strayed from gun rights dogma, but quickly backpedaled. His trip to Texas, a state that embraces its gun-friendly reputation, comes just weeks after a visit there for the annual convention of the National Rifle Association.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and a staunch gun-rights supporter, has called for schools to have more armed personnel and said they should put greater focus on spotting student mental health problems. He’s proposed only a few small restrictions on guns following the shooting.
Students at Santa Fe High School returned to class Tuesday for the first time since the shooting.
Authorities have charged student Dimitrios Pagourtzis with capital murder in the attack. Investigators said he used a shotgun and pistol that belonged to his father.