After the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., America’s gun control issue finally produced substantive conversation between among citizens. This includes discussions pushing toward a solution to end, or at least mitigate, the mass shootings that seem so prevalent in society today.

Unfortunately, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has jumped into this conservation, advocating for teachers to carry guns in order to protect the nation’s schools. President Donald Trump supported this motion, adding that teachers would receive a “bonus” for going through gun safety training and carrying a gun.

This idea is simply foolish and ill-advised. It is a response that would fail to combat the increase in mass shootings and would once again support the NRA. It is a waste of money to give teachers a bonus to carry a gun; many institutions do not even have the money to support this proposal. Schools throughout the country have a hard enough time funding art and music classes, extracurricular creative programs, and additional teachers.

Instead of providing additional funding for educational programs, Trump’s plan would fund the presence of guns in a classroom. Having guns in schools could lead to emotional trauma among students and teachers, especially if they ever needed to confront a shooter. Additionally, this strategy would only potentially help end school shootings, while leaving all other mass shootings fair game. For instance, Stephen Paddock used an AR-15, the same type of weapon used in Parkland, to kill over 55 people and injure over 800 at a concert venue in Las Vegas this past October. This potential “solution” only applies to schools that could afford to implement it, and it would not create a lasting change.

Trump seems to be doing everything in his power to avoid upsetting the NRA. He does not want to lose their support, and continues to ignore clearer solutions. Trump also keeps changing his positions — expressing interest in one idea and then challenging the same one a few days later.

It is not just Trump living in complete denial, but other politicians too. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) claimed on Feb. 21 that “so many of these people that commit mass murders end up being Democrats.” Despite providing no evidence to substantiate this claim, Tenney suggested that the media are overlooking this piece of the story. Even if there was evidence to support such a claim, the political affiliation of a shooter has no place in this conversation.

The answer to controlling the dangerous use of guns is not adding more guns. The sooner the NRA loses its grasp on Trump and Congress, the sooner more substantial laws can be made protecting people from possible mass shootings. This progress is long overdue, and hopefully the conversation taking place will lead to effective change.