West Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow teachers and other school staff who undergo training to carry guns in K-12 public schools.
The bill, which now heads to the Senate, would allow teachers, administrators and support personnel with concealed carry permits to volunteer to bring a firearm into school with the intention of using it to defend the school in case of an active shooter event. Designated a “school protection officer,” the staffer wouldn’t receive any additional compensation for doing so.
Supporters say not every school system in West Virginia can afford to hire a full-time school resource officer. This program would provide another option.
Before the vote, Republican Del. Dave Foggin of Wood County, a physics teacher, said he can’t think of anything worse than shooting someone in his classroom. But he said if that person came into his school trying to hurt his students, he would do it.
It’s wild that Republicans simultaneously believe that:
teachers cannot be trusted to teach about race, gender, and certain parts of history (aka mentioning these things at all) and need to have all books in their classrooms reviewed by an external party for inappropriate content, and
teachers can totally be trusted with guns in the classroom.
Not only that:
Look a student they possibly know in the eyes, and kill them.
They don’t have to “kill” nor even carry a firearm. This legislation specifically allows for certified SPO’s to carry Tasers and Stun Guns.