Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner: "I value our children over our guns and elections"

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had a lot to say about the Santa Fe High School shooting and school security.

The mayor said prayers are not enough to keep students safe.

"That's not going to stop the next incident from occurring," said Turner. "The fixation with guns has got to stop. It's got to, and we have to make our schools as safe as we make our airports and our government buildings."

The mayor continued, "If the response is that there is nothing that we can do to stop our children from being killed in our schools but to offer prayers and condolences, then what sort of statement are we making?"

Turner said we have made the commitment to protect travelers and government officials and we need to do the same for our kids.

"We are protecting elected officials, and we are protecting travelers, more so than we are protecting our children," Turner said. "When it comes to our kids, all of sudden all we can offer are prayers?"

The mayor said we must answer the demands of students.

"These are our children and they are demanding that we do more than what we have always done, which is nothing. We need to do more, we must do more. When the public demands more, then I think it's going to happen," he said.