Former President Donald Trump spoke at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention on Friday, where he blamed school shootings on what he called a spiritual problem.

Speaking in Indianapolis, Indiana, Trump argued that the country had been awash with guns for centuries, and school massacres only started in 2000.

“Our country has been chock full of guns for centuries and there was no talk of massacres of schoolchildren until around the year 2000,” Trump said. “That’s when it really started. They started talking about it. This is not a gun problem. This is a mental health problem. This is a social problem. This is a cultural problem. This is a spiritual problem.”

Trump: “If we can send $120 billion to Ukraine, then we can afford 1/10th of that amount to protect American children in American schools.”pic.twitter.com/MvlZB6a4Ju

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 14, 2023

He argued that this was not a gun issue but a mental health, social, cultural, and spiritual problem.

“If we can send $120 billion to Ukraine, then we can afford 1/10th of that amount to protect American children in American schools,” Trump added.

Trump also pledged to “stop Joe Biden’s war on lawful gun owners” and received the “loudest ovation of the day.”

Trump calls for “national concealed carry reciprocity” at the NRA Convention:

“Just like your driver's license or your marriage license, your Second Amendment must apply across state lines.”pic.twitter.com/nOFytUpFmi

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 14, 2023

He called for a bill to be passed that would allow for “national concealed carry reciprocity,” which would recognize concealed carry permits issued by individual states across state lines.

Trump compared this to other licenses such as driver’s licenses and marriage licenses.

“Just like your driver’s license or your marriage license, your Second Amendment must apply across state lines,” Trump said.

Trump also said, “The politically incorrect truth that no one on the left wants to admit is that violent crime is rarely committed by legal gun owners. It is committed by a brutal class of hardened repeat criminals.”

He also claimed that violent crime is rarely committed by legal gun owners but is rather the work of “a brutal class of hardened repeat criminals.”

Trump’s comments come as Democrat-led cities have seen a surge in violent crime, including crimes involving firearms, since 2020, prompting many to flee to Republican-led cities and states.