Weapons laws vary by state

There is no official tally of how many schools permit their teachers to carry concealed weapons or have access to weapons on campus in the event of an emergency.

Some states allow it, some states are working to clear hurdles, and others haven’t considered such programs.

The topic often makes headlines after school shootings and there is a demand for training programs, say people who run such programs.

After a shooting in February at a high school in Parkland, Florida, left 17 people dead, President Donald Trump endorsed arming teachers. “Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again — a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States,” he tweeted on Feb. 24.

Nick Subashi, a senior partner with Dayton, Ohio-based law firm Subashi & Wildermuth, said much can get lost in the politics of the issue.

“There are thorny and difficult issues that we have to think about as opposed to knee-jerk reactions,” Mr. Subashi said.

Recent news reports have highlighted districts nationwide, most in sparsely populated areas in states where the practice is permitted, where teachers are trained to carry guns and trained in tactical procedures to prepare for a shooting. News outlet CNN counted over 100 districts in Texas alone.

For Northwestern Area 56-7 school district in Mellette, a small town in the northeast corner of South Dakota that educates 250 students in K-12, the risk of a slow response to a shooting weighed heavier than that of arming teachers, said Superintendent Ryan Bruns.

“We are very rural,” he said. “Twenty miles in either direction from nearest law enforcement.”