Teachers Carry Guns in Texas

Schools in Texas arms teachers

Since it is 30 minutes to the nearest police station, the school administration allowed teachers to carry weapons during working hours.

- We have no money for security guards, but this is a better solution, said school Superintendent David Thweatt told The AP.

Teachers at the school carry weapons concealed on the body. This mean Thweatt is an advantage.

- An archer can take out a guard carrying the weapon visible on a belt, but our teachers are older and have undergone extensive training, he said.

In the aftermath of the tragic incident in the town of Newton, where Adam Lanza shot and killed 27 people, it is again spurred weapons debate in the United States. While many have called for stricter gun laws , others arming teachers.

In states like Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon, considered laws allowing schools to arm teachers and administration.

In Texas, it is not permitted to arm the staff at the schools unless the school has a written permission.

According Thweatt, all teachers who want to carry weapons approved by management before they can bring weapons to school.

This will be the only school in the United States that gives employees the arming themselves. Officials at each school Harrolds was unanimous in its decision to arm the teachers as they discussed the matter in 2007.

Employees must also work on crisis management and hostage situations. In addition, the ammunition they use ricochet minimized.

School Harrold has 103 students from first to 12th class. Rector 17 year old son told AP that he never thinks that teachers are with firearms.

- This is the first time in a while I think about it, and it's because of what happened in Connecticut, says Matt Templeton.

Thweatt think more parents want their children to go to school in Harrold because they can offer students protection.

13,000 killed last year

In the U.S., murder where firearms are involved has increased gradually since 2002, figures from the National Institute of Justice.

The record year was 1993 when 17,075 Americans were killed by guns, only to fall until 1999, when the death toll was 10,117.

In 1975, 60 percent of the deaths in the United States committed with handguns, while the percentage in 2005 was 80 percent.

The increase in gang-related killings have been even stronger.

Overall figures for 2005 show that 11,346 people were shot and killed, and firearms were involved in 477,040 Reviewed criminal cases in the United States.

FBI statistics show that 12,664 people were shot and killed last year.