Salt Lake City, UT – More than 200 teachers took advantage of the free gun training class offered in Utah on Thursday. Gun rights advocates decided to organize the free 6-hour weapons course for teachers after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the Utah Shooting Sports Council is the host of the gun training session which will aid teachers on their quest to become concealed carry permit eligible. Kindergarten teacher Raye Ann Blauer had this to say about the class during an interview with Fox 13 News :
“After everything that happened in Connecticut, I want to be aware of how I can help in the classroom and protect my kids and whatnot. Be aware. I think it’s really smart, especially with everything that’s happened lately.”
English teacher and concealed carry permit holder Kevin Letherbarrow stated that he feels educators and students are “sitting ducks” in the classroom. He reportedly does not see anything wrong with allowing teachers to carry a weapon to protect both themselves and the students. School secretary Marguerita Davilla-Telck told CNN that she feels it is good to get educated about guns and that knowing concealed weapons are present in her building make her feel safer.
Utah state law prohibits school districts and college campuses from instigating their own set of gun regulations. An estimated 1 percent of Utah teachers are reportedly already possess a concealed carry permit.
The National Rifle Association’s proposal to place an armed officer in each of the nation’s school has drawn both support and opposition. The issues of safety and economic feasibility have been hotly debated by both gun rights advocates and gun ban proponents.
Do you think that allowing armed teachers and security staff inside schools is a good idea? Where should the funds come from to pay for the increased law enforcement presence?
