‘Teacher’ Shot In Active Training By Arkansas Lawmaker, Who Wants To Arm Teachers

A “teacher” shot by an Arkansas lawmaker has given said lawmaker “pause” when it comes to the idea of putting armed teachers in schools, but it’s still an option he wishes to pursue.

Republican State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson was invited to attend a recent “active training” session at an Arkansas school district, according to Arkansas Online. During the session, Hutchinson allegedly fired on a teacher, who was confronting a “bad guy.”

Hutchinson’s weapon was loaded with rubber bullets, so the teacher was unharmed, but it’s left gun control supporters clawing for ammunition in the argument against the idea of armed teachers in schools.

Hutchinson, however, has disputed claims it was a teacher shot during the drill and later indicated to the New York Daily News that it was a law enforcement officer playing a teacher.

He added that the Arkansas Online report was “utterly ridiculous.”

Still, he admitted that the experience “opened my eyes.”

“The tough part is when law enforcement does arrive, it’s hard to distinguish between the good guys with guns and the bad guys with guns. There were gun shots in the hallway, there’s a man shooting into the classroom, and I shot that person (with a simulation bullet).”

Hutchinson continued: “My position now is that local schools must have control over security systems. It’s a complex issue — police need extensive training, and it needs to be continual.”

In July, it was announced that schools in the Clarksville School District would start arming teachers with guns in the fall to “protect themselves if someone pulls a gun on them while at work,” according to an earlier report from The Inquisitr.

District Superintendent David Hopkins said that staff members there would start carrying concealed handguns, beginning in August. He spoke about the fact that most schools throughout America don’t have a solid contingency plan for dealing with gun crimes in schools:

“The plan we’ve been given in the past is ‘Well, lock your doors, turn off your lights and hope for the best’… That’s not a plan.”

A few days after the announcement, the state’s Attorney General, Dustin McDaniel, shot down the idea.

Do you think the “teacher shot” during the Arkansas drill is a reason to abandon this idea, or with more training, would armed teachers still be a viable option?

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