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 Texas House voted to advance HB 1387, which would expand the School Marshal Program to allow an unlimited number of teachers and staff across the state to be armed. The bill passed after the Speaker of the House cut off debate.
“The logic here is simple: The more guns legislators allow in schools, the higher the risk of unintentional shootings and guns falling into the wrong hands,” said Hilary Whitfield, volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “This is the latest in a series of misguided attempts by lawmakers to expand a program that already puts our children at risk.”
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 the presence of a gun increases the risk posed to children and complicates any law enforcement response to active shooter situations.
Last month in Milwaukee, a 10-year-old student was grazed by a bullet after a gun brought to school by an employee discharged. And last month in St. Paul, Minnesota, a student found a gun in a bathroom that an employee had left unattended.
