Mass shootings tend to happen in environments where people can't carry guns. When there is an armed citizen present, many would-be mass shootings get ended much, much sooner than the attacker intends.
That means more guns mean safer environments, and North Carolina has a bill that understands it.
It doesn't apply everywhere, but it would allow teachers, parents, and volunteers to carry firearms in private schools:
Two North Carolina bills would allow trained teachers, volunteers and even visitors to carry a gun at your child's school.
Each bill requires gun holders to have written permission from school leaders and a valid concealed handgun permit to carry on school grounds.
The Senate bill would also allow parents, teachers or others to serve as volunteer armed guards for the school. They'd be required to take eight hours of annual training first.
“Our children are the most vulnerable among us,” private school parent Rachel Brady said. “I like that there are protections in place and ways of ensuring that responsible adults who go through the necessary processes to receive a concealed carry permit [that] they could be designated by the school to serve as protectors of our children.”
Private schools can already hire private security, although supporters of the bill say barely any have done so. Many schools are small, with only a few dozen students, and lack the funds to hire professional security. Other larger schools would simply rather spend money on different purposes, supporters say, and rely on volunteers to provide free security.
Nearly all public schools in North Carolina, particularly at the middle and high school level, have armed sheriffs' deputies providing security on campus. Lawmakers don't want to spend taxpayer dollars on private school security, but supporters of the bill say they want to help private schools do more for themselves.
“We need to protect our children. We don't care whether they're in private or public school,” Senate bill sponsor Steve Jarvis, R-Davie, said in a committee meeting Thursday.
I happen to think that this is a step in the right direction, but it's not nearly enough.
First, eight hours of training shouldn't be required for someone to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. I don't care if they're at work. If their employer is fine with it, that's all that should matter. The state shouldn't get a say in the matter at all.
Second, it shouldn't just be for private schools.
I get that school resource officers are in public schools, but there was one at Parkland, too, and we saw how that worked out. He hid while kids were being killed. Empowering teachers and staff to protect themselves and, by extension, protect students, is a much better option.
Still, as I said before, this is a move in the right direction.
Mass killers don't like armed resistance. They might meticulously plan their attacks, but they're not meticulously trained. Anything that upsets their apple cart can end the whole thing. They pick gun-free zones to minimize the risks, too, so when they meet armed resistance, they often don't know what to do and either end themselves or simply surrender.
It makes sense to put good people with guns everywhere they can be.
Our kids deserve that.
