After Nashville school shooting, Nikki Haley tells voters she is against gun control legislation

DOVER, N.H.–Nikki Haley's town hall here in one of the first primary states opened against the backdrop of a deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Republican presidential hopeful started her pitch by addressing the shooting and telling voters she wants more metal detectors, not more gun control legislation. She called for schools to have one entrance and to use the metal detectors there.

"It's okay if there are metal detectors. There are those guests coming in out, the kids see them in an airport, they see them wherever they go. Why don't we do that to protect those kids?" Haley said.

"Everybody wants to talk about gun control. My thing is, I don't want to take away your ability to protect yourself until they do those things that protect those kids." Haley continued.

Covenant School shooting updates: 3 children, 3 adults dead after intruder opens fire in Nashville; victims' names released

Nashville shooter Audrey Hale had three guns, police say

Police identified Audrey Hale, a former student at the Covenant School in Nashville, as the attacker who fatally shot three children and three staff members Monday.

The attacker was carrying three guns: an AR-style rifle, an AR-style pistol and a handgun. Two were purchased legally near Nashville, and the assailant was "prepared to do more harm," police said.

Hale was killed by police at the scene.

Republicans and Democrats divided on gun control

Haley joins a familiar refrain in her party of not wanting to restrict gun laws after mass shootings, of which there have been 129 in the U.S. this year.

President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress want to tighten gun laws and ban assault weapons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley is against more gun control after Nashville shooting