The Gateway Pundit told you earlier this week how Ohio was planning to codify a bill that would arm teachers to protect students in the wake of a recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
However, Ohio is not the only state aiming to make it legal for teachers to carry guns on school campuses. Other states are considering legislation or have already enacted legislation to provide direct personal protection to educators, ensuring the expanded safety of the nation’s youngest citizens.
In Louisiana, Senator Eddie Lambert amended a controversial gun bill passed by the statehouse on Wednesday, stripping the legislation of a measure that would allow permitless concealed carry to pursue a similar idea. Lambert’s changes would delete the original concept of permitless concealed carry that was part of House Bill 37.
The amendment would give school districts the authority to designate school administrators or teachers who could carry a gun and serve as “school protection officers.” The individuals chosen would be required to take a training course and obtain a permit to carry weapons on school campuses. Lambert noted that individuals would receive training similar to that provided to police officers.
“You don’t want anybody who is not fully trained in this situation: this is not for just some Joe Blow,” he said.
Notably, Lambert stated that teachers would have to keep the concealed firearm “on them at all times” and out of reach of children.
Texas already has a law that allows teachers to register as “marshals” and carry firearms on school campuses.
Trained and armed school staff can quickly respond to on-campus violence “because the reality is we don’t have the resources to have law enforcement at every school,” said Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The Protection of Texas Children Act has garnered less than 300 teachers statewide and would need further expansion to be a genuinely effective deterrent for future gun violence events in schools.
In Florida, after the Parkland shooting, the state government enacted the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which established the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program to arm teachers and staff on school grounds.
According to the Florida Department of Education, 45 counties currently participate in the program, which trains and screens school employees interested in participating in the program.