The top Democrat on the House education committee says any discussion about school safety needs to be coupled with "common sense strategies to keep guns out of the hands of those who intend harm."

Rep. George Miller of California says the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., is a wake-up call for policymakers to do something. He says turning schools into armed fortresses is not the answer.

Republican Rep. John Kline, the chairman of the committee, says he wants lawmakers to focus on how to prevent future mass shootings such as the one in Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead.

The House discussion comes as Senate is having hearings on a ban on certain types of high-power weapons.