Topline
One of the largest school districts in Georgia on Thursday voted to allow some employees who are not police officers to carry guns in schools, two months after the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook left 19 students and two teachers dead in Uvalde Texas—and Georgia is one of at least a dozen states in the U.S. that allow some non-security school personnel to be armed under certain conditions.
Children listen to their teacher as they sit in a classroom.
Key Facts
In a 4-2 vote, suburban Atlanta Cobb County school board agreed to allow employees—although not teachers and other staff who supervise classrooms—to carry weapons on school grounds.
The decision comes two months after Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law cutting the hours of training required for personnel to carry arms in schools from 700 to 24.
Georgia and Ohio as well as Montana, Alaska and Colorado allow personnel who aren’t police officers—including teachers, in certain circumstances—to carry weapons with permission from a school authority, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Giffords Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence, a public interest law center that promotes gun control.
In Idaho and Kansas, school employees other than police officers can be armed if they have a concealed carry permit and permission from schools, while Florida and South Dakota require school permission and certain training for school personnel, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In Delaware, Kansas and Utah, any member of the public can carry a weapon on school grounds if they have a concealed carry permit, according to the Giffords Law Center To Prevent Gun Violence.
Chief Critic
The Cobb County school board’s vote Thursday was met with protest from gun control activists who shouted “Delay the vote!” and “Shame!” at the meeting, according to the Associated Press.
Key Background
Federal law bars guns on K-12 campuses with several exceptions, including for those with concealed carry permits as well as those approved by schools. Georgia passed a law in 2014 allowing teachers and other employees to carry weapons in schools, if local school boards authorize the move. The Cobb County school board decision comes two months after authorities say an 18-year-old killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Many Republican politicians have long argued arming teachers could serve as one way to prevent school shootings, though research and experts do not suggest this is an effective method. Some Texas GOP officials re-upped these calls in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. After the elementary school massacre and a shooting at Tops Friendly Supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., Democrats and Republicans came together to pass gun control measures, including blocking gun sales to people convicted of domestic abuse within the last five years. Many Democrats, however, have argued the measures don’t go far enough.
Further Reading
Georgia school system to let some non-officers carry guns (Associated Press)
Ohio governor signs bill making it easier for teachers and school staff to carry guns (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/07/15/georgia-district-approves-weapons-for-some-school-employees-heres-where-else-school-personnel-can-be-armed/