License-to-carry permits in Pennsylvania reveal absolutely nothing about the ability of any of their 1.5 million holders to handle firearms. Incredibly, Pennsylvania requires no training for a concealed carry permit.
Nor do classroom, range or simulated tactical training adequately prepare people to make split-second, life-or-death decisions, or handle shooters who shoot back. Even law enforcement officers don’t always handle active shooters appropriately, as the tragic mass murder in Uvalde, Texas, showed. Nineteen elementary school students and two teachers were killed on May 24 while local law enforcement failed to respond swiftly.
If some cops don’t get it right, why should the public expect English teachers and counselors to?
Politicians and school administrators have debated the value of arming teachers and school staff for two decades. The idea has recently gained traction following a series of deadly mass shootings in schools.
More than half of the nation’s states now permit school employees to carry firearms on school grounds. Last month, neighboring Ohio enacted a law that would enable school staff to carry a gun into school, with just 24 hours of training.
But guns and classrooms don’t mix: Weapons can discharge accidentally. They can get into the hands of curious or suicidal children or potential killers. In the chaos and turmoil of a gunfight, school staff could injure or kill children or other school employees.
— Post-Gazette Editorial Board in Reading, Writing and Guns for Teachers
