Texas Republicans Renew Interest in Arming Teachers

Texas Republicans Renew Interest in Arming Teachers
Firearm instructor Clark Aposhian holds a handgun up as he teaches a concealed-weapons training class to 200 Utah teachers in West Valley City, Utah, on Dec. 27, 2012. George Frey/Getty Images
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
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In wake of the Uvalde school shooting, Texas Republicans have expressed renewed interest in programs already in place to arm teachers as state Democrats call for more gun control.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said he doesn’t believe passing new gun laws will deter criminals, and believes the answer is to make schools hard targets for killers.

“We can’t stop bad people from doing bad things. They’re going to violate murder laws. They’re not going to follow gun laws – I’ve never understood that argument,” Paxton told Fox News.

“We can potentially arm and prepare and train teachers and other administrators to respond quickly—because the reality is we don’t have the resources to have law enforcement at every school,” he added.

Paxton was responding to the May 24 mass shooting in Uvalde, home to a small, rural Texas school district where a teen gunman slipped through an open door and killed 19 children and two teachers.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke, is demanding action from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Reporter
Darlene McCormick Sanchez is an Epoch Times reporter who covers border security and immigration, election integrity, and Texas politics. Ms. McCormick Sanchez has 20 years of experience in media and has worked for outlets including Waco Tribune Herald, Tampa Tribune, and Waterbury Republican-American. She was a finalist for a Pulitzer prize for investigative reporting.
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