Texas schools can already arm teachers. Politicians may push for more after Uvalde tragedy

Hours after Texas’ deadliest school shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, state Republicans called for efforts to harden schools and arm more teachers. “We can’t stop bad people from doing bad things,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Fox News. “We can potentially arm and prepare and train teachers and other administrators to respond quickly. That, in my opinion, is the best answer.” On Tuesday, a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, about 85 miles west of San Antonio, killing at least 19 children and two adults. The shooting was the deadliest in Texas history, surpassing the death toll from the 2018 Santa Fe High School tragedy. After the Santa Fe shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled a school safety plan that, among other things, called for the expansion of a program that allows campuses to arm staff. Lawmakers eventually budgeted $100 million for the “hardening” of public schools.

Also on Fox News on Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggested Texas did “a lot of things” after the Santa Fe shooting that claimed the lives of 10 people. “Obviously, we have to do more,” he said, adding that the state has to harden “these targets” so no one can get in except through one entrance. There’s no assurance that an employee with a handgun can halt a school shooting. For instance, during the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, an armed school resource officer never went inside the high school or attempted to engage the gunman during the attack. Reports are circulating that a school police officer was on campus at Robb Elementary on Tuesday. The officer exchanged gunfire with the shooter and was shot and injured, according to Fox News. Texas schools already have two options to arm teachers and campus staff: appointing school marshals or enacting what’s known as the “Guardian Plan.”