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Steven Seagal trains ‘armed posse’ to defend schools

Under Siege star could be the answer to America’s school shooting crisis.

Training day... Seagal teaching kids martial arts skills (Credit: Rex Features)

What’s the answer to America’s school shootings crisis? Improved gun legislation? Better mental health care? No, the answer is obviously Steven Seagal.

In the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, which left 26 people dead, ‘Under Siege’ star Seagal decided enough was enough. Folks in Phoenix, Arizona were going to learn how to defend themselves.

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He was drafted in by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio - who calls himself "America's Toughest Sheriff" - to train locals how to deal with a school shooting and shape them into a crack armed volunteer posse.

With SWAT members posing as school shooters, Seagal showed volunteers hand-to-hand defence moves and room-to-room entry tactics, drawing on his extensive martial arts experience.

"I am here to try to teach the posse firearms and martial arts to try to help them learn how to respond quicker and help protect our children," Seagal said.

The ‘posse’ get 100 hours of training and have their own uniforms and vehicles. Some also carry automatic weapons, which definitely sounds sensible to us...



Not everyone is impressed by the scheme though. Arizona Democratic politician Chad Campbell said: "Steven Seagal is an actor. That's it. Why don't we also have Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris and Bruce Willis come out and train them too while we're at it?”

Seagal is not the only famous face to join Maricopa’s enormous 3,000-strong volunteer posse. ‘Hulk’ star Lou Ferrigno is also helping out.

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