FLORIDA CREATES A GUARDIAN PROGRAM ENABLING TEACHERS TO CARRY

In the aftermath of the deadly Valentines Day shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a school-safety bill on March 9, 2018 that places new restrictions on guns and institutes new safety measures in schools.

The bill raises the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21, extends s three-day waiting period for handgun and long gun purchases, and bans bump stocks that allow guns to mimic fully automatic fire.  The bill also creates a so-called voluntary guardian program enabling some teachers and other school employees to carry handguns if the complete law enforcement training.

Although Scott is an NRA member, he stated that the guardian program is not mandatory for school districts. “If counties don’t want to do this, they can simply say no.”

The Broward County school superintendent has already said he does not want to participate in the program. The Broward County teachers union President Anna Fusco said teachers supported the bill but not the provision that allows them to carry guns.

In a perfect world, locking school entrances, ramping up security measures, practicing lockdown drills, setting up tip lines and trying to identify troubled students would be enough to stop violent school shootings.

The reality is that violent school shootings have brought a lot of death and injury to children, teachers and staff members in many our nation’s schools because prevention measures failed and police were not able to respond in time.

If there’s a shooting at a school shouldn’t educators be prepared to shoot back?  Just like the issue of gun control, there are arguments on both sides of the coin.

Opponents of School Teachers or Staff Carrying Guns

Some law enforcement experts argue that teachers should not carry guns because they aren’t trained like law enforcement personnel to handle a weapon. A teacher aiming at a gunman could miss and hit a child instead.

Other opponents argue that guns in the classroom poses risks of accidental discharges or guns falling in to the hands of troubled students or workers.

Still others argue that the job of a teacher is to nurture and educate students, not be the first responder in a crisis-situation.

Proponents of School Teachers or Staff Carrying Guns

In a recent NY Times article, Dave Workman, the senior editor of The Gun Mag and communications director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, said arming guards or teachers could act as a deterrent so that no one had to draw a weapon in the first place.

President Trump has stated that arming 20% of teachers could be an answer to school shootings and has proposed bonuses for educators who undergo gun training.

According to a 2017 Pew research study, 45% of adults are in favor of allowing teachers and officials to carry guns in schools.

State laws related to guns in schools vary by state and although many only apply to college campuses, 18 states give teachers with concealed carry permits the ability to have guns on the grounds of K-12 schools if they are part of a program approved by either the school board or superintendent.

In the many of the school districts that have a program in place to arm faculty members, they each had the following in common:

• Specific faculty members were chosen to undergo intensive firearms training and become first responders.
• Those chosen as first responders had to be vetted by the school board or district and law enforcement.
• Each school first responder rhas to undergo regular practice and refresher training at least once per year.

Legally permitted concealed carriers are among the most law-biding citizens in the nation. Putting in place strictly run guardian programs in our schools where those faculty members chosen to participate are vetted, legally permitted, well trained, and armed with appropriate handguns seems to be a better solution than training all faculty members to herd children into a corner away from windows and doors in the hope that a deranged gunman will pass them by.

Click here to learn more about Florida state laws & requirements.