U.S. to allocate $45M for more armed cops in schools

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The Obama administration has allocated $45 million to pay for armed police officers in U.S. schools, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday.

The money would provide 345 additional school resource officers, CNN reported. It would come under the federal COPS program.

In the wake of the killing of 20 young children and six staffers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December, Wayne LaPierre, chief executive officer of the National Rifle Association, called for armed guards in schools and even for training teachers and staffers who wanted to carry guns in schools. The federal money would be used only for law enforcement officers.

In the wake of Newtown, President Obama called for universal background checks on gun purchases, but the administration has been unable to get Congress to pass legislation.