Legislator Who Wants to Offer Gun Training to Teachers Faces Off with Opinionated Anchor

A Virginia state legislator wants a requirement for public schools to offer gun training to school officials — teachers, administrators, principals — who want to receive it.

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Delegate Bob Marshall (R) told CNN this morning that he’s received e-mails from school officials who want to do this.

But CNN, however, introduced him as a GOP lawmaker whose proposal would require teachers and staff to carry concealed weapons in schools. Marshall quickly corrected the anchor.

“In Virginia, we do have police. We call them community resource officers, right now, who are in the public schools. It’s predominantly secondary schools. In Virginia, we do allow parents or relatives to go on school grounds right now with a concealed carry permit, provided you stay in the car. There have been no incidents at all that are adverse to anybody,” he said. “In 2006, the incidence of gun related crimes was 79 per 100,000. It’s now dropped to 57 per 100,000. In the same time, gun purchases have increased 73 percent.”

Marshall previously had introduced legislation to allow professors who have concealed carry permits to carry on campus in Virginia — thus giving a line of defense against assailants like the Virginia Tech shooter — but it did not pass.”

“The political elite in this city has their children in schools with armed guards. Nobody is begrudging them that. I’m thankful that they do. We just need to have the same protection that they have for themselves applying to the rest of America,” he said.

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Still, anchor Alina Cho hammered the delegate with polling on gun control and played a clip of a man at the Tucson shooting that gravely wounded Rep. Gabby Giffords (D), who said he almost accidentally shot a guy who was trying to disarm shooter Jared Loughner.

“When you talk about that training, I mean, these teachers are taught to teach, not to shoot guns, and perhaps some of that training, should they choose to undergo it, would certainly help, but mistakes are made even with the best training,” Cho said.

“In the United States, in states which pass legislation requiring the issuance concealed carry permits, the incidence of crime dropped significantly in those states. So I don’t see that that’s necessarily a bad result,” Marshall said.

“You’re talking about teachers, who — and particularly in this case, if you look at Sandy Hook, who are trained to teach kids 6, 7 years old, and you’re talking about them possibly carrying concealed weapons,” Cho continued. “…What about the solution being more gun control, tighter laws on buying a gun? You know, public opinion is shifting toward that, as you saw earlier. Why not have that as the solution?”

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Marshall noted that the commonwealth does have background checks, and noted that there’s a rush to buy guns not seen even after the 9/11 terror attacks.

“There is now because people are fearful that the 2nd Amendment guarantee of right of gun ownership is going to be abrogated here because of this horrible event,” he said.

And even after all the clarification by the Virginia lawmaker, Cho closed the segment by saying his proposal would arm teachers in schools.

“Some teachers,” Marshall corrected.

Also read: NRA Chief: Why Can’t You See That Armed School Guards Is a Good Idea?

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