Some Teachers Already Have Guns

As Mr. Donald Trump calls for teachers to carry guns to protect children, some districts already have gun-toting teachers in schools, though the identity of those carrying weapons is kept a secret.

(snip)

At least eight states already allow teachers in some capacity to carry guns on K-12 school grounds, including Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming, according to the Education Commission of the States, which tracks legislation. So far in 2018, at least six states—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Maryland, and Oklahoma—have introduced legislation that would make it easier to have school personnel carry firearms on school property, according to the commission.

It is unknown how many teachers are carrying guns in schools because there is no official national tally. While some school districts have publicly announced their armed-employee programs, they won’t say who is carrying them and typically won’t divulge the number of armed staff members. The armed programs usually require educators to own their own weapons; the school districts provide training.

Several school districts in Ohio and Texas with armed staff said Thursday they haven’t had any incidents involving guns accidentally going off or being shot unnecessarily, a concern by some who don’t want teachers armed.

Still, accidents have happened. A sixth-grade teacher was injured in 2014 when she discharged her gun by mistake while using the toilet in a faculty rest room in Taylorsville, Utah. She had the concealed gun legally. A spokesman for the Granite School District said state law requires permit holders to keep their guns with them.

“Police determined she had the weapon on her lap and it slipped and she reached to grab it and pulled the trigger,” said a district spokesman. “The front of the toilet blew off and it blew a porcelain fragment in to the back of her leg.”

(snip)

Kenneth Trump, a consultant who is president of National School Safety and Security Services, said in states that allow teachers to carry guns, very few districts use the option. “Most school boards, superintendents and teachers say thanks but no thanks,” he said. Mr. Trump, who is no relation to the president, said there could be a host of responsibilities with arming teachers, including weapon inspections, certification and storing guns. Armed teachers also could present confusion during a live shooter incident, he said.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-teachers-already-have-guns-1519347813