Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is backing a proposal to offer public school teachers a $10,000 annual stipend to take voluntary firearms courses and carry guns in school. He would also devote more funding for public safety officers at Georgia’s schools.
Surrounded by local officials at a Barrow County elementary school, Jones said that the proposed legislation would “protect those who are most vulnerable” even as he made clear he wouldn’t support new limits on firearms.
Critics of the policies worry that encouraging teachers to arm themselves would lead to more violence in the classrooms and create a dangerous incentive for teachers to carry weapons to pad their paychecks.
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith, who endorsed Jones’ proposal, dismissed concerns that teachers who want to participate in the program wouldn’t be up to the task.
