2/21/13 - With legislation being considered that would allow teachers to carry weapons in schools, a local Tea Party group is offering to give away concealed weapons training to local educators. House Bill 4098, introduced by State Representative Bill Rogers, would give school districts the ability to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on school grounds. In response, Hartland-based Tea Party group RetakeOurGov is accepting applications from local teachers interested in training to receive concealed weapons permits. Two winners will be chosen next month to receive the training free of charge. RetakeOurGov Founder Wes Nakagiri tells WHMI that school districts would decide what the requirements will be for teachers to carry guns, and CPL training would probably be included in those requirements. However, some people are speaking up against the idea of teachers packing heat. Jay McDowell, president of the Howell Education Association, says arming school staff is the wrong way to go about making schools safer. He says he would prefer groups like RetakeOurGov lobby the legislature to provide funding to put a police officer in every school, a system which he says is providing an effective deterrent at Howell High School. McDowell says if you consider the practical implications of arming teachers, it becomes less desirable. He tells WHMI that if a teacher were to keep the gun unloaded and locked up in a safe manner, it would be virtually useless in case of a mass shooting. He says if teachers were to keep the guns loaded and in a drawer, it would be too easy for someone else to grab. McDowell says that leaves having teachers holster their loaded weapons while in class, an environment he thinks many parents will not want to send their children into. (TD/JK)
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