Firearms in Schools.

• Author: Palmer, Jennifer
• Position: TRENDS

President Donald Trump's support of arming school staff to prevent tragedies like the recent shooting in Parkland, Fla., has generated much debate among state lawmakers. Several have introduced bills to make it easier to get guns in the hands of teachers should there be a need. At press time, bills had been introduced in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Washington.

"I can't comprehend when we secure other places like banks and the state Capitol with armed security, that we leave completely undefended the buildings that house our most precious commodity," Michigan Representative Gary Glenn (R) says. He is working on legislation to make it easier for school officials with concealed carry permits to carry guns in schools.

Lawmakers in Colorado, however, defeated a bill to make it easier for people with concealed carry permits to go into schools. This was the fourth time Representative Patrick Neville (R) introduced the measure. He was a 15-year-old student at Columbine High School in 1999, when 12 students and one teacher were shot and killed.

A vast majority of states--48--have laws that generally prohibit firearms in schools, but there are several common exceptions.

After the 2012 shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., five states--Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota. Tennessee and Texas--passed legislation allowing school employees to carry firearms; most require the employees to get trained...