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In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) call to put armed guards in schools across the U.S., more than 200 teachers in Utah will take part in a concealed-weapons training course.

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As organizers seek to arm more educators and follow NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s initiative, the teachers will pack a convention hall on Thursday for a free six-hour training session, usually given to teachers who are legally able to carry a concealed weapon. The state’s leading gun lobby decided to offer teachers the training free of charge to encourage turnout.

“We’re not suggesting that teachers roam the halls for a monster,” said Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council. “They should lock down the classroom. But a gun is one more option if the shooter comes in.”

Educators in Utah are now arguing that legislation in the state has left them with no choice but to accept the guns in schools. State law forbids schools, districts or college campuses from trying to impose their own gun restrictions. Utah educators say they would ban guns if they could and have no way of knowing how many teachers are armed.

“It’s a terrible idea,” said Carol Lear, a chief lawyer for the Utah Office of Education, who argues teachers could be overpowered for their guns or misfire or cause an accidental shooting. “It’s a horrible, terrible, no-good, rotten idea.”

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Utah is also one of the few states that allows people to carry licensed concealed weapons into public schools without exception.

This guns in school thing is really taking a turning out for LaPierre and the NRA. Good idea? We think not. 

SOURCE: Washington Post