AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following response after the Senate voted to advance SB 406, which would expand the dangerous School Marshal Program and gut the current law requiring school marshals who have regular direct contact with students to store guns in locked safes, and would instead allow them to carry guns on their person.
“It’s baffling that lawmakers are trying to strip gun storage standards in our schools,” said Hilary Whitfield, volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “That is a recipe for disaster that research indicates would make school a much more dangerous place for our children.”
Texas’ School Marshal Program allows teachers and other school staff to be armed, despite the fact that there is no evidence indicating that arming teachers makes schools safer. In fact, research shows that access to a gun increases the risk posed to children, particularly if guns are not properly stored. Last year, a teacher’s gun was stolen by a student in school in Missouri. And in Detroit, a student found a loaded gun in a school bathroom stall after a county sheriff unintentionally left it behind.
