from the Texas Tribune:
In response to last week's Connecticut school shooting, state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, says he will file legislation to allow public school teachers to carry concealed weapons while on campus.
The
bill, which Villalba is calling the Protection of Texas Children Act,
would permit Texas schools to appoint a member of their faculty as a
"school marshal." The marshal, with training and certification, would be
able to "use lethal force upon the occurrence of an attack in the
classroom or elsewhere on campus," according to a press release from
Villalba, a newly elected state representative.
“Unfortunately,
law enforcement personnel cannot be everywhere at all times," Villalba
said in a statement. "We need to talk very frankly about how we can
protect our children if the unthinkable should occur."
Villalba's
move is one of several Texas responses this week to the elementary
school shooting that has rattled the nation. On Monday, Attorney General
Greg Abbott said that 78 Texas school districts do not meet state-mandated safety standards to protect students. Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert have both said publicly that
the events in Connecticut could have been avoided if school officials
had been armed. And at an event in Tarrant County on Monday night, Gov. Rick Perry suggested
that local control should rule — and school districts should decide for
themselves whether to allow their employees to carry firearms.
Under
current Texas law, school districts can grant written permission for
employees to carry firearms on campus. Harrold ISD, a district in
northwest Texas with roughly 100 students, allows teachers to carry
concealed handguns under what they call a "Guardian Plan," set up in the
wake of the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech.
read the rest of the article here: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/public-education/rep-villalba-allow-teachers-carry-concealed-guns/
This newly elected representative is typical of those in government who do not even know the laws on the books. Note the last "phrase" in a long paragraph/section starting with "UNLESS":
ReplyDelete"Penal Code, Title 10, Chapter 46. Weapons
Section 46.03:
Sec. 46.03. PLACES WEAPONS PROHIBITED. (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, illegal knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a):
(1) on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution; . . ."
His proposal is restrictive and ill conceived. The Harrold ISD is doing it correctly. All that the Legislature should do is "Cite" the Penal Code section 46.03 in the Education Code so it is made more visible. Villalba would limit this to ONE PERSON, who would have to be certified, which can only mean be trained and certified as a "peace officer", as described in the Education Code. The Education Code, as written, is deficient, until it cites the Penal Code section as stated above. We don't need more "police" on campus - we need individual teachers and other staff to be ready and trained and equipped, as in Harrold ISD.