TexasCHLforum.com

Texas Gov. Rick Perry OK with teachers, staff carrying guns at schools

05:54 PM CDT on Monday, August 18, 2008
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
choppe@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry said that he supported the policy of the Harrold school district to allow teachers and staff members to carry guns at school as long as they are adequately trained in gun safety.

"The issue with handguns is training and registration," Mr. Perry said on Monday. If those provisions, which are part of Texas' concealed weapon licensing law, are met then he said he has no problem with the policy.

Also Online
Texas school district OKs pistols for staff
Harrold is a small district near Wichita Falls that has about 110 students in its K-12 school. School trustees changed their policy last year to allow for weapons on school property. School officials have cited the proximity of a state highway and the school's 30-minute distance from the nearest sheriff's office as reasons for concern.

Thus far, Harrold is apparently the only school district in Texas that will allow its teachers to carry guns into their classrooms.

The governor said he would have no problem with such a policy being adopted at other schools throughout the state.

"I think it's up to those local school districts," he said.

"I'm pretty much a fan that if you've been trained and you are registered then you should be able to carry a weapon. Matter of fact there's a lot of instances that would have saved a lot of lives," Mr. Perry said.

He mentioned the 1991 rampage in Killeen when George Hennard drove his pickup into the front of a Luby's and began shooting at patrons, killing 23 people before turning the gun on himself.

Among the victims were the parents of former state Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, who was one of the state's staunchest right-to-carry advocates.

"That's a great anecdotal story of not being able to have a weapon when you needed one," Mr. Perry said.

Boxerrider,

My apologies for misunderstanding your post.

Trog

Boxerrider wrote:I'm ok with everyone with a CHL being allowed to carry on campus. I see parents and other members of the community entering the school's campus armed exactly as I go to the bank or grocery store. But when you are a school employee you are part of a team responsible for the lives of a lot of other people's children. Also I feel a ND is more likely to happen where you feel comfortable and become complacent. Accidents occur when guns get moved from one place to another, get checked to see if they are loaded, or just grossly mishandled. We've heard, "then the gun just went off" way too many times already.

And I hope, if the unthinkable happens, to be able to send more of them home to their parents alive.

As for the latter of your statements, What moving "from place to place" and "check to see if they are loaded"? My firearm stays on my hip and is loaded. There is no moving or checking. It is always loaded if I am carrying it and when I'm carrying it I'm not messing with it. "Grossly mishandled", "Comfortable and complacent"? Give us a little credit please. Like we're going to be pulling it out in class and laying it on the lectern. Geesh. If I can carry everywhere else, day in and day out and not have a ND or gun scare or shoot up the mall or my congregation, then why don't I have the mental and physical capibilities to carry the same way at school?

Superintendent Thweatt was on Gun Talk and Good Morning America today. In both cases he did a good job. He is scheduled to be on Fox & Friends and Glenn Beck in the future.

While there will be continued discussion on this board and others as to the requirements the school district imposes, I think it is still a step in the right direction. IF the legislature will come through for us this session it won't matter.

This is getting forwarded to my school board!