School System In Georgia Will Start Allowing Employees To Carry Firearms

Photo: Michael Rivera

In the months after one of the worst school shootings in history, some states and localities are looking at ways to help protect their students. While some are screaming for more gun control, others are looking to give employees actual control by allowing them to carry while on the job.

One school system in Georgia is doing just that, and they’re proud of their decision.

Local media reports;

The Laurens County school board has approved a policy allowing select staff to carry guns on school property, in vehicles and at school functions, The Telegraph reported .

Laurens County Schools is believed to be the state’s only district to go forward with such a policy, said Justin Pauly of the Georgia School Boards Association.

Teachers and staff who carry guns will do so on a voluntary basis and receive intensive training, Laurens County Schools Superintendent Dan Brigman said. He says the policy will be developed with the county sheriff’s department.

Still in the planning phase, the policy would allow for concealed carry and not open carry. Back in 2014, the State of Georgia passed a law that left it up to school districts as to whether or not they wanted armed faculty on school grounds.

And now, Laurens County is taking advantage of that law.

Some argue that teachers have enough on their plate as it is, and maybe the best solution is to instead have an armed security guard at each school and/or metal detectors.

My argument for this is simple; any faculty member that is looking to carry a firearm on school grounds, wants to do so by their own will, as they feel it would benefit themselves and the students should disaster strike. It costs no extra money, aside from training that the school may or may not pay for, and is something that many of these people are doing in their daily lives anyway — carrying a firearm.

Metal detectors aren’t a terrible idea, but they cost money to have installed at every entrance, will take time to get each person through, and we all know that kids can be sneaky and find other ways inside a building. We’ve all been in high school, and not a single one is truly secure.

Details of the policy will be revealed as the weeks or months go by, but it will at some point become a reality for this district. Job well done!