This shows the problem with this proposal. First no prep work was done to get allies before the idea was taken public, the story of why this is or may be needed has been sold. Then the press who has not been educated in the issues has been able to make the story what they want. The Governor is just following the story as presented, don't blame him.
This is a major problem we have as a community, we have thousands of people running each in their own direction and not working a plan and pulling together. Each person is pushing their own little piece of the puzzle, even if the space for it has not come into being yet.
The story should not be about arming teachers, no offense to any in the discussion, but about following the Federal Law and allowing individual school districts the freedom to enact policies that protect our children. Under Federal Law anyone carrying a firearm on school grounds must be authorized and licensed to do so by the state (Thanks Joe). Currently the State of Nebraska has authorized On Duty Police (while in their work capacity) to carry on school grounds and created an exception for Off Duty Police to be hired as security for school events. Other than those two situations no one should have a gun on school grounds legally.
Omaha is fortunate in the fact that we can have school resource officers at all our Middle and High Schools, and they visit Elementary schools (multiple schools share one officer). That is not true of all communities in Nebraska, Lincoln has shared officers for all their schools. Smaller communities may be lucky to have one officer in the town, how are they to be at two or tree schools all at the same time? The schools need to have the ability to develop their own security plan and that must include having armed protection for their students at all times.
The bill that is currently being discussed as a possibility is simply allowing school districts to higher armed security, with the minimum training being a Concealed Carry Permit plus some extra training that would specifically be on dealing with active shooters in a school environment. That is simply creating an option for school districts to appoint trained personnel to fill this security need, and provides direction for the training required. The Districts that decide to use this program can in conversation with their communities and police require further training before they authorize any individual to carry on their property. The individual Districts are give complete autonomy in deciding who they will authorize.
This bill does not just remove schools from the CCW banned list. But that is what the "press is selling it as" and that is what public opinion is. Want to move the Governors opinion, move the public's opinion. That means we will need to educate what this bill does, and that should have been done before it was spoken about in the press.
