While the world has been observing the constant presence of David Hogg, the high school shooting survivor-turned-political activist on television, one county in Kentucky has already done something tangible about the awful incident that occurred two weeks ago: The Pike County School Board passed a preliminary proposal that would allow teachers to carry guns, if they have a concealed carry license.
Other districts should not wait for politicians at the federal level to address this issue, or to propose similar legislation, but should follow suit if that’s something parents and teachers agree on doing.
The Lexington Herald Leader reports, “The unanimous decision came after the board heard concerns about school safety from teachers, parents and administrators during a town hall meeting at Pike County Central High School. The discussion was prompted by multiple school shootings in recent weeks, including one at Marshall County High School in Western Kentucky that left two dead and another in Florida that left 17 dead.”
The school’s attorney will now work with the local sheriff’s department to come up with a final policy, which the board must then approve. If approved, teachers in the school district could be armed this fall, perhaps even sooner, after receiving training from the sheriff’s office. Under the proposal, teachers would volunteer to be trained and carry a concealed weapon — they would not be mandated to do so.
This idea, while controversial, is one of the more excellent proposals coming out of this tragic incident. While some lawmakers moved to propose federal legislation that would ban certain weapons and ammunition, and some liberals even want to repeal the Second Amendment, the chances of these efforts being successful are slim — not only because many of the ideas are unconstitutional, but because of how difficult it is to accomplish things at the federal level.
A much more reasonable and successful way to accomplish things that are controversial and difficult, yet essential to public safety, is to encourage and propose solutions at the local level. This ensures both a democratic process, conflict resolution, and best practices: Who cares more about the students in Pike County Schools than the people who live right there? Only those parents and teachers know if they are willing and able to be trained well enough to carry concealed weapons, so it’s both essential they agree and carry out the task if they vote to do so.
Hopefully, with this local measure making the news, more states and counties will consider taking action at the local level — but only if constituents, parents, and teachers are pressing to arm teachers who are willing and able to carry a concealed weapon.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
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