News Update

More teachers across U.S. expected to carry gun when schools open

As schools prepare to open across the country, more teachers will be carrying handguns when they head into classrooms in the wake of the massacre at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, the New York Times reported Sunday.

A decade ago, it was extremely rare for everyday school employees to carry guns. Today, after a seemingly endless series of mass shootings, the strategy has become a leading solution promoted by Republicans and gun rights advocates, who say that allowing teachers, principals and superintendents to be armed gives schools a fighting chance in case of attack, the Times reported.

One teacher in Ohio decided the can of wasp spray she kept in her desk to counter an attacker wasn’t enough and bought a 9-mm handgun, the Times reported.

At least 29 states allow individuals other than police or security officials to carry guns on school grounds, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of 2018, the last year for which statistics were available, federal survey data estimated that 2.6% of public schools had armed faculty.

The count has likely grown, the Times reported. California does not allow school personnel other than police officers to carry guns in schools.