When we talk about arming teachers and other school staff, no one is talking about them being de facto police. Instead, we’re talking about them being an armed citizen in the right place at the wrong time, if you catch my meaning. Frankly, many of us figure the potentiality of armed teachers may dissuade would-be shooters from picking schools as a viable target for their atrocities.

Unfortunately, many states are hesitant to embrace this concept.

In my own state of Georgia, one school system has stepped up and agreed that it’s probably a good idea to allow certain staff members to be armed (emphasis mine).

A Georgia school system has decided to allow its employees to carry guns.

The Laurens County school board has approved a policy allowing select staff to carry guns on school property, in vehicles and at school functions, The Telegraph reported .

Laurens County Schools is believed to be the state’s only district to go forward with such a policy, said Justin Pauly of the Georgia School Boards Association.

Teachers and staff who carry guns will do so on a voluntary basis and receive intensive training, Laurens County Schools Superintendent Dan Brigman said. He says the policy will be developed with the county sheriff’s department.

Brigman said the district is not arming all teachers, “nor will we have teachers or any other staff members ‘openly’ carrying firearms during the school day. “The processes to support this approved policy will be developed in a very careful and confidential manner in partnership with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Department.”

A 2014 Georgia law left it up to individual districts to decide if employees could carry guns on school property. Districts that opt to implement weapons policies must follow specific requirements for the approval of employees to participate; the types of weapons and ammunition allowed; firearms training; licensing; and securing weapons.

Let’s note the bolded portion for a moment. It’s pathetic that this needs to be said. It needs to, though, because so many hear “arm teachers” and they think we’re talking about requiring all teachers to carry. But it’s not mandatory, it’s voluntary, as it should be.

Laurens County has made a decision about the safety of their students. They take it seriously, and I’m willing to bet perfectly good money that Laurens County will never have anyone even consider targeting one of its schools. The reason? Maniacs want a high body count, and they know that won’t happen if they’re met from the start with an armed teacher or janitor. So, they drop that idea and move onto something else.

Sadly, the anti-gunners continue to focus on the tools being used rather than the disturbed people using them. They want to legislate away our right to guns and still somehow forget that maniacs can still find ways to kill.

But at least this way, their targets won’t be our kids.