Wayne LaPierre, the head of the biggest gun lobby group in the US, defended his call to put armed guards in every school on Friday and declared that the answer to violent crime was to put guns in the hands of more people.

Speaking to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) just outside Washington DC, LaPierre mocked those who call him “crazy” and delivered a powerful call for the widespread use of guns for Americans to defend themselves.

“The one thing a violent rapist deserves to face is a good woman with a gun,” he said, to wild applause.

LaPierre, the executive director of the National Rifle Association, was widely condemned when he advocated putting armed guards in every US school after the Newtown shootings last year. He defended the position on Friday: “I advanced nothing more than surrounding our schools with the same level of protection as our jewelry stores sand sports stadiums. The vast majority of Americans agree.”

He went on: “There isn’t a mom or dad anywhere who wouldn’t feel safer seeing a police car in the parking lot.”

LaPierre said the government should implement his plan: “Thousands of our schools remain vulnerable to the evil intents of madmen,” he said.

He played a video produced by the Department of Homeland Security, which advises people to reach for whatever comes to hand when confronted by a gunman. The video showed a woman grabbing a pair of scissors. “To protect our schools, we recommend trained professionals with a gun. They recommend scissors. And they say we’re crazy,” he said. The speech was greeted with loud applause, cheers, and a standing ovation.

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