Scott Craig spends his days on-air on the radio. He also prepares sermons for his congregation. But lately, Representative Craig has been giving one particular piece of legislation a lot of thought.
“The concept of this bill began before the tragedy in Connecticut and what happened in Connecticut only confirmed the rightness of the bill,” said Representative Scott.
Representative Craig is drafting a bill that allows South Dakota educators to carry concealed weapons to school. Craig says the weapons could offer immediate help to aid and protect faculty members and students should a school shooting take place locally.
“I’ve spoken to local, federal law enforcement who were in favor of this because they know as was the case in Connecticut, they were 5 to 10 minutes away from any given school,” said the Rapid City pastor.
Retired police chief and State Senator Craig Tieszen says he’s all for the second amendment, but says Representative Craig is jumping the gun with his proposed bill.
“I think we all have to take a deep breath and reassess,” said Senator Tieszen. “I’ve heard some legislators think we need more guns, some legislators think we need fewer. I think we need to just stop and think about these proposals and if they’re likely to make change.”
“I don’t think we as legislators should be passing legislation based on isolated instances that happen around the country,” added Representative David Lust.
While some lawmakers say there should be fewer guns in schools rather than more Craig says he expects a healthy round of debates to fire up in Pierre come January.
Representative Craig says the proposed bill would ensure teachers undergo a psychological test and extensive training with law enforcement officers before they could carry guns inside the classroom. He says faculty members would be required to carry the weapon on their person at all times.
Taisha L. Walker 
Reblogged this on Students are Enough and commented:
Should teachers be allowed to carry handguns to school! Once a persuasive essay topic, now a real issue that legislators and school officials are all in discussions about. What the massacre in Connecticut has done has not only raised eyebrows about school safety, but also redefining the roles that teachers may play in the safety. As an educator, in urban schools, I’m interested in empowering my students to understand that KNOWLEDGE is the most powerful weapon that you will ever need to carry. Yet, some would argue that knowledge cannot ensure safety, yet I beg to differ, KNOWLEDGE ensure the holistic growth of our students: educating on academia, mental health, servant leadership, and etc., brings an awareness that guns do not. When we educate, we empower the inhabitants of the community, and catapult change. But then again, what do I know……some would say, I’m only a teacher.
Finally! Someone is doing something rather than just cursing the darkness. As of my writing this response here in mid-March, the South Dakota Legislature has passed and Governor Daugaard has signed into law this very balanced and reasoned approach to a very real problem. Is this the right approach for ALL states? Perhaps not, but it also is painfully obvious that the knee-jerk response in the other direction on the part of the city of Chicago (among others) as well as the state of New York (among others) is not working either. This is the beauty of our federal system as envisioned and established by our founders so many years ago: Each state or commonwealth can try different approaches to an issue, measure the results, and give other members of the Union the opportunity to ignore, try, or modify the approach for their own needs. Long live the 10th Amendment! As well as the rest of the Bill of Rights!