The News-Messenger: More Ohio Schools Arm Teachers to Shoot Attackers
Ohio schools will be better protected next year.
Via the News Messenger:
The next person to be shot in an Ohio school could be at the hands of a teacher allowed to carry a gun.
In a trend that has grown rapidly since the late 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, an increasing number of school districts around Ohio have authorized teachers and school staff members to carry concealed firearms in classrooms.
But which schools allow armed teachers, or which teachers volunteer to be armed, across Ohio is not known. Details of the policies are legally allowed to be secret and some districts do little to let the public know such a policy has even been enacted. But expert estimates put the number of districts arming staff members at more than 175, or more than one in four districts in the state.
The surge in such policies is significant for Ohio students, parents and for those who work in schools. Some view allowing the concealed carry of firearms at schools as a major boost to staff and student safety. If a child or other perpetrator goes on a shooting spree, an armed teacher can kill the shooter before more lives are lost. Others flatly oppose the measures — citing a raft of concerns including the potential for accidents, potential confusion over distinguishing a shooter from a staff member and worries that armed staff members are ill-trained to manage the authority to take a life during a crisis.
Read more here.
