PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – A new poll finds that a majority of Americans are against arming teachers to prevent school shootings.
Researchers at Quinnipiac University say 58 percent of voters don't want educators and school officials carrying guns on campus.
Speaking after an economic development announcement in on Pittsylvania County Tuesday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said he is also against the idea.
"I'm an educator at the medical school, my wife is an educator. We don't go to school to enforce the law, we don't go to school to carry firearms. So I think there are better ways to move forward," Northam said.
"We certainly need to invest our resources and our energy into law enforcement and other areas, but to arm teachers I don't think is a good idea."
The issue has become a national topic of conversation since the Feb. 14 shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.
The shooting has also fueled the ever-present debate about gun control.
Students at schools across the country plan to walk out of class to demonstrate support for more gun control.
When asked about the plan, Northam said "leaders" need to discuss how to make society safer.
"One of the things we saw after the tragedy in Florida is our youth were awakened," Northam said.
"That's not going away. That's the reason we need to sit down, as leaders, at the table, from both sides of the aisle, and talk about how to make our society safer and to have less guns. We don't want guns on every street corner."
National walkout day is scheduled for March 14.