KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri lawmakers passed a bill that would let teachers and administrators carry concealed weapons in your child’s school. The Missouri Legislature has signed off on this bill and it now goes to Governor Jay Nixon’s desk for approval or veto.
FOX 4 attempted to speak with administrators in many area school districts about the legislation, and most preferred to save comment until the governor takes action. But parents on both sides of the issue are fired up about it.
The fight to try and keep guns out of our schools seems never ending. But now, Missouri lawmakers hope to stop the violence by putting guns in the hands of educators.
The bill awaiting the governor’s signature would allow school districts to train and designate specific teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons in classrooms.
Some parents say it’s the best way to protect their kids.
“I think teachers need to be able to defend the students. They need to be able to protect themselves and we`ve had enough sacrifice from stupidity,” said KC mom Misty Norris.
But others worry teachers toting guns would create a dangerous environment.
“They`re teachers, they`re not state troopers. They`re not KCPD,” said another KC parent named Reggie Brown. “To me, honestly, you got a bunch Barney Fifes that are wanting to carry guns and don`t know jack about them.”
The bill requires school districts to hold hearings on the decision, but lets them decide which teachers can carry guns in closed session. Most districts told FOX 4 it’s too soon to say how they would implement it.
But Andrea Flinders of the Kansas City Federation of Teachers said most educators think it’s a bad idea.
“Even with training, I think there`s too many things that could happen that could go wrong. Whether a student finds the gun in a teacher`s purse or the teacher leaves it somewhere. I just think too many bad things can happen,” Flinders said.
The bill also lowers the age requirement for a concealed carry permit from 21 years old to 19. It also outlaws cities from barring people with a permit from openly carrying their weapon. Governor Nixon has until mid-July to decide whether or not to sign the bill into law.
