On March 32, the Florida House committee passed Bill 1253 which would allow teachers to arm themselves on campus if the local school boards approve it. The passing of this bill follows states like Texas and Utah, which have let teachers arm themselves in an attempt to further school safety and the protection of their students. Other states have also begun to follow, one of which is Indiana. The state senate is currently looking over a bill that would allow staff to carry firearms as long as they take a specialized training course. They would also have to pass the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), which is a psychometric test of adult personality and psychopathology. According to assistant principal Valerie Piehl, the bill’s effect on the school are currently not entirely known.

“We still don’t have enough details to be able to truly make a decision on whether or not this would be implemented at Carmel High School. We will look at how (this policy) will affect students and the staff, and make our decision from there,” Piehl said.

Some students believe that allowing teachers to carry firearms will provide them with more safety.  Erik Nelson, sophomore and Young Republicans Club member, said he believes that the bill can help get rid of school shooting threats.

“If teachers were able to carry firearms, it would definitely decrease the amount of school shootings and also the threats that come with it. If someone ever thought about (conducting a school shooting), then the teacher can just simply stop (that person),” Nelson said.

However, other students said they believe that allowing the teachers to carry firearms would only make it more dangerous. Sophomore Nimish Bhat said she believes allowing this would further the possible violence in schools.

“Sometimes a student could be having a bad day, and that would be something that pushes them over the edge and causes them to lose it. This

 is the same for teachers, as one bad day could cause a lot of problems,” she said. “A sanity test also won’t work, as it won’t be able to determine if a person is truly fit to use a gun, especially in a school area where so many kids are.”

If passed, the bill would give each school the option to allow teachers to carry firearms or not.