Teachers React To The Possibility Of Being Armed On School Campuses

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The people who teach Mississippi’s children could soon be carrying guns in the classroom.

House Bill 1083 would allow teachers to arm themselves on all K through 12 campuses.

As we reported yesterday, the amended bill is the lawmakers’ reaction to the deaths of 17 students at a Florida school.

Teachers are already asked to do a lot.

Their work load is heavy and they will all agree, taking care of their students is a huge responsibility, but they can’t agree on whether some teachers need to carry on campus.

Thomas Richardson has his hands full teaching English to students at New Hope High School.

He doesn’t want to be responsible for having a gun in the classroom.

“If there are more guns around, then that means more guns that students could possibly have access to. I know that we would like to think we could keep them locked up somewhere, but my fear is you know, I’m not a huge guy and that somebody could, even if I were trained with a gun, they could over take me,” says Richardson.

But Math teacher Brian Meggs says he’s okay with a select number of teachers being armed.

“When people know that there’s a possibility that, if I break in that building that I’m going to be subdued by faculty members that are carrying, I think it makes a major deterrent,” says Meggs.

Richardson believes New Hope High already has a good plan in place for keeping students safe.

He says he is trained to be a teacher and law enforcement are trained to protect.

“If in the case of an active shooter, heaven forbid a teacher has a gun and they’re trying to neutralize the situation, I’m not sure that law enforcement is going to worry about that. They’re going to take down whoever is firing a weapon, or at least, that’s what I would think would happen.”

Meggs says he’s always aware of the possibility of an active shooter.

“I’ve thought about that many times, what would I have done? And I know if I had a gun and I saw the shooter coming around the corner, well the first thing I’m going to do is try to take him out.”

Teachers who choose to be armed would have to be approved by their local school board.

They would also have to have 12 hours of training every two years.

Although the two teachers have different opinions, each say they can understand the other side.

Their number one priority, they say, is always the students.

The bill is now on its way to the state Senate.