North Carolina teachers and other school employees would be allowed to carry handguns on campus “to respond to acts of violence or an imminent threat of violence” under a bill filed in May in the state legislature, according to the Charlotte News and Observer.
The School Self-Defense Act would create a “volunteer school faculty guardian’ program where school employees would have permission to carry firearms on school grounds. The armed employees would have to meet requirements such as having a valid concealed carry handgun permit and completing 16 hours of active shooter training.
The primary sponsors of House Bill 1039 are two Republican lawmakers: Rep. Larry Pittman of Cabarrus County and Rep. Michael Speciale of Craven County. Pittman has been vocal about letting teachers carry guns in the aftermath of national school shootings such as the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
