Advocate for Armed School Staff Destroys Denver Post's Claim of 'No Viable Alternative' to SROs

A few days ago I wrote about an editorial from the Denver Post that advocated for an armed presence on every school campus in the state, saying the paper got it half-right. I'm in full agreement about the need for an armed response to an attack on school grounds, but the Post wildly erred when it argued there was "no viable alternative" to having school resource officers in place, despite the financial and logistical difficulty it would pose for many smaller school districts. 

I brought that editorial to the attention of FASTER Colorado's Laura Carno, who joined me on Bearing Arms Cam & Co to detail the extensive training the group has provided to hundreds of educators across the state, who are lawfully carrying on their campuses every day. Carno told me that she was going to write a piece rebutting the paper's claims, and I'm pleased (and somewhat surprised) to see that the Denver Post has actually published her column. 

Carno notes that 50 school districts have armed school staff in place, and the 500 or so staffers who are carrying concealed have an unblemished record of safety. So why haven't more districts adopted a policy that allows for trained and vetted staffers who volunteer to serve as a first line of defense in case of a targeted attack on campus? Carno calls out the Colorado media, including the Denver Post, for largely ignoring this option. 

At FASTER Colorado, we often hear that the media largely fail to share information that could raise awareness and interest in these programs. Reporters rarely highlight armed staff programs, leaving parents unaware of a proven remedy. Instead, headlines focus on tragedies and their painful aftermaths instead of prevention.

It’s time to spotlight the heroes quietly protecting our schools. Network and cable news rarely cover how widespread armed staff policies are, how safely these programs have been implemented across the country, or how some attackers may choose targets based on perceived security weaknesses. We also seldom hear the stories of the brave men and women working in schools, who willingly run toward the sound of gunfire to save children. That needs to change.

Imagine a teacher, coach, or counselor – someone your child trusts – who’s rigorously trained to protect lives, ready to run toward danger. That could transform our culture.

Kudos to Carno for writing this column, but also to the Denver Post editorial board for running it. I told Laura that if the paper didn't see fit to publish her piece I'd post it at Bearing Arms, but I'm happy to forgo publishing it in its entirety here if it means that more Coloradans will be exposed to the work that FASTER Colorado does... and the fact that having armed school staffers is an option where they live. 

As Carno says, there's nothing wrong with having an SRO on campus. But having armed school staff in addition to or instead of is a practical option for every school district in the state; one that's both cost effective and effective at deterring a targeted attack. Now that the editorial board has shared Carno's column, I hope the news side of the paper will see fit to go out and cover a future class, which should help raise the profile of FASTER Colorado and perhaps spur some interest among parents, students, faculty, and school administrators. 

Editor’s Note: Second Amendment advocates like Carno aren't just doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights. They're intent on protecting innocents from harm as well. 

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