U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., recently started a School Safety Caucus among her colleagues. She says that "mentally ill individuals" are more of a threat to school safety than guns.
Brooks says the School Safety Caucus aims to look at best ways for schools to approach safety.
On Tuesday, while touring Ball State University, Brooks says this doesn't mean restricting Second Amendment rights.
"We have had school shootings happening at a far higher rate in this country than in a lot of other countries," Brooks says. "But I would say that in a large measure it is because of the people, not just the weapons or not just the guns. Because if it's not guns, we also see people slashing people with knives — people when they're on campus. We can see people contemplating bomb threats on campus."
Brooks says she's working on bills in Congress that would improve the country's mental health systems.
"Most criminals and those with serious mental illness, they will find a way to get their hands on a gun whether we restrict laws or not," Brooks says.
Brooks' caucus also wants to reauthorize a program that gives out safety infrastructure grants to schools across the country.