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Committee Supports Guns In Schools Bill

A bill that would allow local school boards to decide if teachers can have guns in schools has been approved by the Senate Education Committee.

Sponsor Paul Barnard of Evanston says the idea is to make schools safer.  He says teachers would undergo extensive and recurring training.  Barnard says smaller districts especially may benefit from the bill.     

“ Really this would be a boon to them because they are many minutes, sometimes an hour away from any kind of police or law enforcement help.  So for our rural schools if some of our teachers could be trained and armed and everything then they could provide protection for our students.”

The Wyoming School Boards Association supports the bill, but the Wyoming Education Association opposes it.  Barnard says he understands why some teachers don’t want guns in schools…and notes that his own wife is a teacher who opposes the bill.  The bill goes to the Senate floor for further debate.

Bob Beck retired from Wyoming Public Media after serving as News Director of Wyoming Public Radio for 34 years. During his time as News Director WPR has won over 100 national, regional and state news awards.
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