ROXBORO, N.C. (WNCN) – A Person County man has started circulating a petition aimed at building support to allow trained teachers to have a gun in their classrooms.
Bruce Wrenn says safety in schools is something he’s been concerned about for a long time, but the recent mass shooting at a community college in Oregon compelled him to act.
His daughter graduated from Roxboro Community School.
“I worried about it every day, every single day. My wife and daughter didn’t understand it, but I went down to that school almost every day to make sure the back doors were locked, to make sure it was safe,” said Wrenn.
He pitched the Person County Board of Education on his petition drive, explaining why he believes armed teachers will improve safety in schools. He said he wanted feedback from the board to see if members have interest in lobbying the General Assembly to change the law.
“Well, it’s something that would have to be highly regulated…It would definitely need to be a fingerprint reader where you can’t use a code to get into it,” said Wrenn.
Board members did not provide any feedback to him.
“Personally, I think it would be a huge difference. It’d be a mighty big item that would require a lot of thought, a lot of input,” said board chariman Gordon Powell after the meeting.
The National Education Association, the country’s largest union of teachers, strongly has opposed proposals like this one, calling them dangerous.
The NEA conducted a poll of its members and found 68 percent oppose allowing teachers to receive firearms training and carry guns in schools.
An NBC News investigation found 18 other states already allow teachers and other adults to carry guns in schools.
School board members in Person County say they don’t plan to discuss the issue at any public meetings any time soon.