- Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted that veterans could be brought on to boost security in schools.
- "We have hundreds of thousands of well-trained former military members who could bring a lot to the table," he wrote.
- Lawmakers are looking at ways to tackle gun violence after the mass school shooting in Uvalde.
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Friday floated the idea that retired service members could help boost security measures in schools in the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last month.
The South Carolina Republican in a Twitter thread remarked that there were "hundreds of thousands" of veterans who would bring an array of experience in order to keep schoolchildren safe in classrooms.
"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," he wrote.
He continued: "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."
Graham — a onetime judge advocate in the United States Air Force who also served in the Air Force reserves — further spoke of the need to protect children in an environment where they should be shielded from violence.
"It is time to mobilize our retired and former service members who are willing to help secure our schools. Our schools are soft targets. They contain our most valuable possession – our children, the future of our country – and must be protected," he wrote.
He added: "Schools should be treated like courthouses, banks, capital buildings, etc when it comes to security."
Graham's comments come as most conservatives have sought shift the debate over violence in America away from Democratic-backed gun restrictions — which include red flag laws and tougher background checks — and towards the enhancement of security measures in school buildings.
After the Uvalde shooting, Graham said he would be open to debating "any and all measures" to curb such violence brought forward by his Senate colleagues.
"Hopefully over time we will have a better understanding of what led to these senseless acts," he tweeted last month. "As to what to do next, I welcome a debate in the U.S. Senate about any and all measures that my colleagues believe will have an effect. Let's debate and vote."
At Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, 19 children and two teachers were murdered by an 18-year-old gunman.
The Uvalde school district had its own detailed security protocol in place, including its own school police force.
Since the shooting, questions remain surrounding the police department's handling of the situation, notably the timeline in which the school district's police chief waited for backup instead of attempting to immediately overtake the gunman in the building.