With the state of Florida requiring all school to have at least one armed guard in case of an active shooter, one school made it clear they take their students safety very seriously by hiring two combat veterans. And they’ll be armed with Kel-Tec RDB bullpup rifles.
The New York Times reports Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto will be making the rounds around school with body armor and they’ll also be carrying a 9mm Glock.
If a shooter were to come campus, “we’re not looking for a fair fight,” Bill Jones, the principal, told the Times. “We’re looking at an overwhelming advantage.”
The guards, who were trained by Manatee County Sheriff’s Department, are the only ones in the county to be armed with rifles. A guard shack at the entrance will be added, along with raising the school’s fencing by two feet.
Their training included over 132 hours of firearm practice. Jones said he wanted to hire combat veterans because, “I don’t want this to be the first time they’ve had someone shooting at them.”
After the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year, the law and the school’s actions were praised by Andrew Pollock, whose daughter was among those killed on Valentines Day.
While some agree with having armed school staff, David Hogg, a former student of Stoneman Douglas, said he does not approve of the measure.
“I for sure don’t think arming teachers is a good idea. I think overall we have to work to make sure that we’re stopping shooters before they get on campus. Because by the time they get there it’s already too late. Because as we know that somebody else is going to be lost to that process,” Hogg told CNN on Wednesday.
Instead, Hogg suggested to “reduce harm and stop violence before it happens, reduce it as it’s happening and increase, for example, ambulance response time after a horrible incident like occurred at our school.”