Until 1990, it was legal for a CCW permittee to enter a school with a gun in Nevada. At that point, it had been legal for over 100 years. In all that time, there was not one single instance of any of the kinds of concerns you expressed.
In fact, minutes from the legislative committee hearings back then show that the prohibition was put in place so that school personnel and visitors could "lead by example" and in so doing, reduce the number of gun violations by students. The statistics were so sobering - 15 to 20 kids a year were caught with guns in the Clark County School District - that the legislation passed. Last year, just under 50 kids had weapons seized in Clark County Schools. Numbers are ratable all over the state, and show that this experiment has not served to reduce the per-child violation rate.
Meanwhile, we have graduated to a world of active terror. We saw it in our nation on 9/11. Three years ago in Russia, Muslim terrorists seized a school and killed (with guns) 160 children. We absolutely know from interrogating captured terrorists that they always seek the least-likely-response location for their evil - and even a casual read through NRS will reveal that there are only a handful of places where guns are banned, schools leading the list.
Your last paragraph denigrates teachers by exhorting society to "not mistake a professionally trained police officer for a teacher who carries a gun like a water pistol." Even given some latitude for editorial hyperbole, your statement is pretty far off the mark. Professionally trained police officers in Nevada have less than a week's training specific to their weapon; my proposal would require teachers to have a 40-hour course, including the philosophy, ethics and finality of deadly force. And out of the thousands of Nevadans who hold a CCW permit, not one carries their gun like a water pistol.
Bob Beers, CPA
Nevada Senator, Dist. 6
