Former President Donald Trump said Americans need the Second Amendment to protect against the “existence of evil” during his Friday speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) convention.
The former president said Democrats need to set aside their “far-left political agenda” and stop “blaming” their enemies in order to save and protect American children. He then called for the nation’s schools to be “the single harshest target in our country” by allowing teachers to concealed carry and prevent gun-free zones.
“There’s no sign more inviting to a mass killer than a sign that declares a gun-free zone,” Trump said. “The most dangerous place. I know it sounds good and it really does, doesn’t it sound wonderful? But it’s not. And statistically it’s a total disaster. A gun-free zone, they look at that sign and they say ‘that’s where I’m going.’ We cannot have that because if somebody goes into that building, all of those innocent people will be taken out, will be killed, will be tortured. Bad things will happen, [we] have to get rid of it.”
“As the age-old saying goes, ‘the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,’” he continued. (RELATED: Gov. Abbott Cancels NRA Convention Appearance Following Uvalde Shooting)
The former president said an expertly trained member of the NRA is needed to protect the innocent from an armed bad guy. He then criticized Democrats for allegedly wanting “complete gun confiscation” and placing the Second Amendment “under siege.”
“This would be a first step. Once they get the first step, they’ll take the second step, the third, the fourth and then we’ll have a whole different look at the Second Amendment which is, by the way, totally under siege,” he said. “But we stopped it for four years and we’ve got to stop it. But even if every decent and honest American gave up their guns, the criminals would never give up theirs and they never will. They’re never going to give up theirs.”
“The fact is there will always be sick and demonic souls who wish to harm the innocent and see malice and triumph over good. But the existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens who know how to use their weapon and protect a lot of people,” said Trump. “The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens.”
He pointed to the NRA’s mission to train and equip nearly 1 million Americans in order to be ready to defend themselves to protect “the vulnerable” and by “safeguarding the innocent.” He pointed to FBI data finding that armed individuals took out four active shooters in the last year to save “countless innocent lives.”
“Last year, there were four active shooters who were taken out by an armed civilian bravely exercising their Second Amendment rights,” he said. “Saving countless [of] innocent lives. That is what the Second Amendment is all about.”