Unfortunately, some states have taken that notion into consideration, and school districts
in Texas have gone as far as to allow teachers to carry weapons on school grounds.144 Districts
such as the Argyle Independent School District have allowed some teachers the right to carry a
gun on school grounds in order to “protect our students.”145 Before they can carry a gun on school
property, the teachers must meet certain requirements.146 They must obtain a license to carry a
gun, pass a psychological evaluation, and be trained in how to use the weapon.147 Argyle is not
the only school district allowing teachers to be armed; in fact, twenty-eight states have laws
allowing adults to carry licensed guns into schools.148 Not surprisingly, there is significant
pushback from state government leaders in allowing weapons on school grounds.149 Some of the
rural districts in Kansas City, Missouri have provided weapons and training to teachers, despite a
veto from Governor Jay Nixon of the legislation that would permit the special training for
teachers.150 The governor’s asserted reasoning for vetoing the legislation is one of common sense:
“arming teachers will not make our schools safer . . . I cannot condone putting firearms in the
hands of educators who should be focused on teaching our kids.”151 Additional pushback against
legislation allowing teachers to carry guns in schools has also come from the press. Specifically,
one reporter in Kansas City advised that the legislature look to an incident at Idaho State
University, where a professor with a concealed hand gun accidentally shot himself in the foot
and, fortunately, did not harm any of his students.152 Generally, the notion and practice of arming
teachers is one that is highly contentious and disliked by a wide variety of individuals and groups
across the state. However, that has not stopped the practice from being put into effect in some
places.
C. What it Could Mean to Repeal or Amend the Legislation
While it is important for students and staff alike to be prepared for whatever kind of harm
they could be exposed to during school hours, it is probably not necessary to go to the lengths that
school districts and state legislatures have gone to thus far.153 At this point, if the active shooter
drills are leaving students traumatized or desensitized,154 as some reports have shown, then a
different approach could be more effective in the long run, while still preparing students and staff
for the unthinkable.
A different approach need not entirely remove the active shooter drill. In fact, removing a
few elements of the drill could go further than dismissing the drills in their entirety. First, striking
the use of guns and blank ammunitions155 could alleviate a great deal of the stress that is caused
by these drills. As of June 10, 2014, there had been thirty-four school shootings since Sandy
Hook on December 14, 2012.156 Statistically speaking, the likelihood of students being in a school
144Valerie Strauss, Texas School District Arms Teachers and Posts Warning Signs, WASH. POST (Sept. 6, 2014),
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/06/texas-school-district-arms-teachers-and-posts-warning-signs/.
145 Id.
146 Id.
147 Id.
148 Kate Murphy, Armed Teachers Aim to Defend K-12 Schools, NEWS21 (Aug. 16, 2014), http://gunwars.news21.com/2014/armed-
teachers-aim-to-defend-k-12-schools/; Strauss, supra note 144.
149 See, e.g., Strauss, supra note 144.
150 Id.
151 Id.
152 Lewis Diuguid, Missouri Lawmakers Should Pay Attention to Accidental Shooting on Idaho Campus Ahead of Veto Session Next
Week, KAN. CITY STAR (Sept. 3, 2014, 2:19 PM),
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/lewis-diuguid/ article1439244.html.
153 See generally Bronstein, supra note 1.
154 Id.
155 See id.; Aronowitz, supra note 120.
156 Spinning Statistics on School Shootings, FACTCHECK.ORG (June 25, 2014), http://www.factcheck.org/2014/06/spinning-statistics-
on-school-shootings/.
