Over the past two weeks, President Trump and a number of lawmakers have magnified the idea of trained teachers being able to carry concealed firearms inside their classrooms.
"We have to take steps to harden our schools so that they are less vulnerable to attack. This includes allowing well-trained and certified school personnel to carry concealed firearms. At some point, you need volume. I don't know that a school is going to be able to hire a hundred security guards that are armed," Trump said during a meeting with the nation's governors at the White House earlier this week.
Now according to a new Morning Consult/POLITICO poll, the concept has significant backing.
Hundreds of school districts across the country already allow for staff and teachers to carry firearms on campus. In 18 states, adults with legal carry permits are also allowed to carry into schools after being granted permission from administrators.
"Texas authorized schools to adopt policies to implement a school marshal program where individuals would be trained to have a weapon and to be able to use that weapon. And we now have well over a hundred school districts in the state of Texas where teachers or other people who work in the school do carry a weapon, and are trained to be able to respond to an attack that occurs," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said during the White House meeting.
"Now, it's not always a schoolteacher. It could be a coach, it could be an administrator, it could be anybody who works in that school. But it's a well-thought-out program with a lot of training in advance. And, candidly, some school districts, they promote it. Because they will have signs out front -- a warning sign: "Be aware, there are armed personnel on campus" -- warning anybody coming on there that they -- if they attempt to cause any harm, they're going to be in trouble," he continued.
For years, the Ohio based organization Faster Saves Lives has been providing firearms training for teachers free of charge.
FASTER stands for Faculty / Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response.
Created by concerned parents, law enforcement, and nationally-recognized safety and medical experts, FASTER is a groundbreaking, nonprofit program that gives educators practical violence response training.
Funded by donations, classes are provided at NO COST to your school district!
The program offers a carefully-structured curriculum offering over 26 hours of hands-on training over a 3-day class that exceeds the requirements of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
The purpose is not to replace police and EMT, but to allow teachers, administrators, and other personnel on-site to stop school violence rapidly and render medical aid immediately.
When violence strikes and students’ lives are on the line, every second matters. Faster response is better response.