Should Wisconsin School Districts Let Employees Concealed Carry?

WISCONSIN — As school shootings continue to take the lives of American children, many in Wisconsin continue to wonder how we can protect our places of learning.

One recent proposal from two Republican lawmakers in the Badger State has renewed a more controversial take on the issue. Rep. Scott Allen of Waukesha and Sen. Cory Tomczyk of Mosinee announced the proposal on Monday, which would allow school districts to permit their teachers and other staff to concealed carry at school. The proposal would also waive a concealed carry license fee for teachers.

See also: WI School Employees Could Concealed Carry Under GOP Proposal

It is currently a state felony to possess a gun on Wisconsin school grounds, and the law has few exceptions. Further, schools across the state are listed as gun free zones by law. But a resolution passed by the Germantown School Board in 2022 questioned that and claimed that gun-free zones simply make it easier for criminals. Monday's proposal was in response to the board's resolution, the lawmakers said.

This isn't the first time that the idea of arming teachers has made the rounds across the country in recent years. It took a front seat after a gunman killed 19 children at a school in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. The recent proposal from Wisconsin Republicans comes on the heels of another school shooting, this time in Nashville, Tennessee, where a gunman killed six people ranging in age from 9 to 61.

What do you think? Should Wisconsin schools continue to be gun-free zones? Should school staff be allowed to concealed carry if the district allows it?

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