In the wake of the recent Florida school shooting that claimed the lives of 17 and a shooting at a Kentucky high school that killed two, Kentucky lawmakers are considering new legislation when it comes to firearms. But rather than ban guns, they want to increase their presence on campuses.
Senate Bill 103 proposes that public school boards and private schools be allowed to have teachers or staff serve as “school marshals,” allowing them to carry a gun on campus if they have a concealed carry permit. The bill would also limit the number of marshals each school could have.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Republican state Sen. Steve West, who sponsored SB 103, said he thinks the bill will increase the chances of students’ survival.
“It increases that kid’s chances of surviving,” he said, via National Public Radio. “And if there is someone there with a weapon, they will be able to take down the assailant, or at least calm the situation.”
Schools would only allow staff to use guns in active shooter situations, and the firearms would be stored in a lockbox at all other times. Concealed carry classes in Kentucky do not train participants for active shooter situations.
“I wish honestly I didn’t have to file this bill, or we weren’t even having this discussion and we could go back in time,” West added. “But unfortunately we live in 2018.”
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that proposed House Bill 210 would prohibit a publicly funded college, university, or postsecondary education facility from restricting the carrying of a firearm on school property by someone who holds a concealed carry license.
House Bill 36 would allow concealed firearms to be carried by those without concealed carry licenses to be carried in the same locations allowed by those with licenses.
Many Kentucky schools already have armed guards, and there was an armed guard present at Marshall County High School in the state. There was also an armed guard present at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, neither of whom took down the shooter in the respective schools.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
