School policing organization supports second amendment rights
March 1, 2018 – HOOVER, Ala. – The National Association of School Resource Officers(NASRO) – the world’s leader in school policing – today provided additional information regarding its stance on the issue of arming teachers as a method of protecting school children. All of the information below may be attributed to NASRO executive director Mo Canady.
NASRO respects the Second Amendment rights of teachers. Nothing in our previous recommendation against arming teachers should be interpreted as advocacy for infringing upon those rights.
For the reasons we laid out, however, NASRO continues to recommend against teachers carrying firearms at school and continues to advocate the placement of at least one carefully selected, specially trained school resource officer (sworn law enforcement officer) in every school.
NASRO realizes, however, that some states permit teachers to carry firearms in schools, that some teachers already do so, and that others might choose in the future to do so, if permitted by law and their employers. Where that is the case, NASRO offers the recommendations below to help assure the safety of others on campus.
Teachers who carry firearms in schools (where doing so is legal) should:
Fire those weapons only in a defensive mode in their classrooms, for the protection of their students. Teachers should not abandon their students to seek out or pursue an active shooter.
Receive background screening on par with that conducted for applicants to law enforcement positions.
Receive extensive training to include:
Maintaining weapon security.
Quickly evaluating whether firing is safe and appropriate, based on the risks of injuring innocent victims.
Firing accurately in high-stress situations in which deficits in fine motor skills often occur.
Receive recurrent training and practice at least once a month.
Although the recommendations above will not eliminate risks associated with arming teachers, they will help mitigate those risks.
About NASRO
NASRO is a nonprofit organization for school-based law enforcement officers, school administrators, and school security and safety professionals working as partners to protect students, school faculty and staff, and the schools they attend. NASRO is located in Hoover, Alabama, and it was established in 1991. For more information, visit www.nasro.org.