The sponsor of a bill that would allow Missouri teachers to be armed in classrooms says they won’t be running around their schools with guns drawn, acting like Rambo.
The proposal by Republican House Member Mike Kelley of Lamar is just one of several aimed at protecting school kids in the wake of last week’s mass shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Kelley says there’s a lot of misconception out there about his bill: “When I talk to people, I can tell in their mind they’re picturing the Wild West with two six-shooters, one on each hip, and the teachers walking in and going, ‘This is MY classroom!’ What we’re looking into is giving an opportunity for those that take care of our children to allow those teachers to protect themselves and to protect those that are under their care.”
Meanwhile, the NEA and the American Federation of Teachers released a joint statement Thursday opposing efforts by states to allow teachers to be armed in class, saying the focus should instead be on gun safety and investment in mental health services.
