Gov. Dennis
Daugaard of South Dakota on Friday signed into law a bill that would allow
teachers to carry guns in the classroom.
While some other
states have provisions in their gun laws that make it possible for teachers to
be armed, South Dakota is believed to be the first state to pass a law that
specifically allows teachers to carry firearms.
About two dozen
states have proposed similar bills since the shootings in December at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but all of them have
stalled.
Supporters say
that the measure signed by Mr. Daugaard, a Republican, is important in a rural
state like South Dakota, where some schools are many miles away from emergency
responders.
Opponents, which
have included the state school board association and teachers association, say
this is a rushed measure that does not make schools safer.
The law says
that school districts may choose to allow a school employee, hired security
officer or volunteer to serve as a “sentinel” who can carry a firearm in the
school. The law does not require school districts to do
this.
Mr. Daugaard
said he was comfortable with the law because it gave school districts the right
to choose whether they wanted armed individuals in schools, and that those who
were armed would have to undergo firearms training similar to what law
enforcement officers received.
“I think it does provide the same safety precautions that a citizen expects when a law enforcement officer enters onto a premises,” Mr. Daugaard said in an interview. But he added that he did not think that many school districts would end up taking advantage of the measure. NY Times
Discussion of gun control
and gun rights has surged in the United States since a gunman shot dead 26
people at a Connecticut elementary school in December, 20 of them first-graders.
Reuters More than a third of the
states already allow teachers and other adults to carry guns to school. In most
cases, all you need is the equivalent of a note from the principal — you usually
don't even need law enforcement approval. NBC News The American Federation of
Teachers and the National Education Association have both campaigned against
such measures, but not all local school administrators share their position. NBC
News Among the states identified
in the piece are Alabama, Texas, Kentucky and Oregon. The laws don't say that
the teachers have to give a reason why they would want to bring a gun to school
either. Loop 21 There are over 20 states
that also allow individual colleges or universities to decide whether to ban or
allow concealed weapons on campus, according to the National Conference of State
Legislatures. Some states also allow students to carry concealed weapons.
Reuters
HJ/HJ
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