An anti-gun organization released a report this month questioning the legality of a controversial decision made by one North Texas school district allowing teachers to carry concealed handguns in the classroom.
The Harrold Independent School District applied a Texas penal code to authorize school employees to carry firearms. The purpose of the policy was to enable employees to respond to emergency situations in an effective and timely manner, according to the policy.
The controversial decision prompted anti-gun organizations in Texas to analyze the legality of the district's decision.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a national nonprofit organization working to fight gun-related violence, hired a legal consultant to analyze the penal code and predict potential consequences.
Mike McAnally, spokesman for the organization, said arming school teachers is a dangerous response to the risks of school violence, and when analyzing the facts of the case, the study found that it was illegal for teachers to carry guns in schools.
"It was a stupid idea in the first place," McAnally said. "They are making the issue bigger than it is and actually submitting the students to possibly increased violence."
McAnally said the report cited Gary Kleck, a gun policy researcher, who discovered that the penal code was not intended to allow school districts within Texas to arm teachers. The law states the school district may employ security personnel or a commissioned peace officer.
The small school district, located 150 miles north of Fort Worth and made up of 110 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, spent a year researching the possibility of allowing teachers to have guns in the classroom. Superintendent David Thweatt said the school board made a unanimous decision last October to move forward with the new law.
The average time to respond to an emergency call in the district is 20 to 30 minutes, and the decision by the school board was made with the safety of the children in mind, Thweatt said.
The report showed that state anti-gun policies have been effective in reducing the risks of gun violence on Texas campuses. It also indicates that fewer than 1 percent of school-age homicide victims are killed on school grounds, on the way to school or in the classroom.
"The law is fraught with problems," McAnally said. "The superintendent used the term 'common sense' when the school board made its decision, but it's just the opposite."
McAnally said the decision implies a lack of confidence with law enforcers and the local sheriff's department.
Thweatt said the teachers who do choose to carry guns are required to be trained and commissioned under the law to carry firearms.
McAnally said the Brady Center plans to release a similar report regarding the legality and possible consequences of proposed legislation allowing students to carry concealed handguns on college campuses.
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