In Reversal, Major Anti-Gun State Considers Arming Public School Employees

School safety is always a contentious subject for some reason. One would think that protecting our kids with appropriate tools would be a bipartisan issue, where everyone could agree that in the most vulnerable locations, that is where security is most needed. But alas, fear-mongering halts meaningful progress towards protecting our kids while in school.

After the tragic shooting at a school in Kentucky last week, the issue of school security and gun laws has risen to the national spotlight. Of course, the Left is saying that we need more laws regulating or restricting gun ownership (even though the shooter was underage and could not legally possess a firearm in the first place).

Meanwhile, those with a better grasp on facts about gun ownership and carry are putting forth proposals that will actually equip schools to protect their kids; not infringing on other people’s rights, but allowing school staff to arm themselves with a tool of force to stop those who wish to do harm.

Republican Del. Rick Impallaria of Maryland is proposing a bill that would empower school districts to arm their staff to respond quickly to an active threat situation. Impallaria, of rural Harford County, wants schools to have the equipment necessary to stop mass shooting attacks before they can pile up casualties.

“The bill is very simple,” Impallaria said. “All we’re doing is giving authority to those school systems to put this into practice.”

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The bill does not have a number as of Tuesday afternoon, when Impallaria filed it with the Department of Legislative Services’ Legislative Drafting section. It will have the title “Handgun Permits and Carrying Weapons on School Property,” Impallaria stated in a Jan. 24 news release.

He expressed concerns in the release about a recent school shooting in Kentucky that left two students dead, as well as incidents involving guns and threats of violence at Perry Hall High School, the later which is in Impallaria’s legislative district, as is the western side of Harford County.

There have been several instances of violence with firearms in Maryland over the past several years. In 2012, a student in Perry Hall was injured during a shooting at the school. Earlier this month, there was a fight at a Baltimore school which was captured on video; one of the participants had an airsoft pellet gun during the fight.

Harford County Board of Education President Joseph Voskuhl, speaking on his own behalf, stated that he would never support armed staff members in the county.

“[There are] too many chances of an accidental injury occurring,” he said Monday.

But is that actually true? The data says otherwise. According to statistical analysis from the Crime Prevention Research Center, there is only one reported case of a carry permit holder accidentally firing their weapon.

A teacher in Utah had an accidental discharge in 2014. The gun fired and shattered a toilet in the school, no lives were threatened during the incident. She agreed to take a safety course, a fine, and a probationary period.

There are six other reported cases of accidental discharges, but those are on college and university campuses (still a very, very small ratio of discharges vs. permit holders).

So is Voskuhl’s concern founded? Absolutely not. Is Impallaria’s concern founded? Most certainly.

Will it pass? Its prognosis is slim in Maryland, unfortunately.