“Mississippi House passes bill for armed teachers in schools”

A Mississippi bill allowing public school staff members to carry firearms was passed through the Mississippi House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The bill allows any Mississippi school faculty member the right to carry a firearm throughout the school. There is not limit to the number of staff members allowed weapons.

“All this bill does is allow the school districts to set up a policy for teachers or any faculty members to serve as extra security guards while they are working at school,” said Bubba Carpenter, author of the bill. “There are four other states already enforcing something like this.”

Each teacher will be subject to approval by the head officials of the school before they are granted permission to carry a firearm.

“I’m not trying to put guns in every teachers hands,” Carpenter said. “I just want to provide the option to help protect our kids while they are in school so they feel safe.”

The bill states that the identities of those armed will be withheld.

“It’s kind of the unknown,” Carpenter said. “Of course, they would go through training so that if they had to respond they would know what the proper procedure would be.”

According to Carpenter, the reason the bill does not limit the number of faculty members who can carry a weapon is to increase the safety.

“It’s just another level of protection for our students,” Carpenters said. “My local school has a resource officer, but he is only one man. If he is absent one day, we need another faculty member in place.”

            Carpenter said the Pearl High School shooting in 1996 was a main focus in writing the bill.

            “The Pearl High School assistant principal had a gun in his car on the day of the shooting that he used to stop the shooter,” Carpenter said. “He was not supposed to have a gun at school, but he received a reward for being a hero.”

            Philip Gunn, speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, said the bill must pass through the Mississippi Senate before anything further will be discussed.

            “I don’t know that this is going to be the final statement on this issue,” Gunn said. “But, it at least is bring the issue of school safety to conversation.”

            If the bill passes through the Mississippi Senate, it will take effect at the start of the next calendar year.

The Oxford school district has not addressed what actions will be taken in response to the bill.