Gun ban lobby attorneys argue to keep Texas students defenseless

The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram is reporting that attorneys for the gun ban lobby have the tiny school district of Harrold in their sights.

The Wichita Falls-area Texas school district recently made international news by announcing teachers with a state concealed carry permit and permission from the district would be allowed to carry handguns on campus.

But according to the story, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are attempting to stretch a rule in the educational code to fit the new policy in Harrold, TX, thereby claiming school officials there may be violating state law.

From the story:

"When I first read about this, I couldn’t believe it was legal," said Marsha McCartney, president of the Texas chapter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "It turns out it wasn’t."

Harrold Superintendent David Thweatt didn’t return a phone call late Tuesday, but he has said that the district researched the idea for a year before presenting it to trustees. He has also said he is confident in the legality of the policy.

The change was necessary because his school is 30 minutes from the closest law enforcement agency, the Wilbarger County Sheriff’s Department, leaving students unprotected, he said.

...Texas criminal law prohibits firearms at schools "unless pursuant to the written regulations or written authorization of the institution."

That is the section of law that Harrold officials cited when discussing the policy.

Brady Center lawyers cite a section of the education code that could cloud the issue.

It reads, "If a board of trustees authorizes a person employed as security personnel to carry a weapon, the person must be a commissioned peace officer."

Cheryl Mehl, an Austin attorney who represents Harrold, said that statute does not apply in this instance.

"It says that’s the case if they are employed as a security personnel," she said. "These are not security personnel. Those are teachers who are just helping to make sure the school is a safer place."

Mehl said the issue is a matter of local control and "within the board’s authority."

"The Legislature has empowered them to govern and set policies as they see fit," she said.

Brady lawyers also said the policy is simply a bad idea.

"One of the reasons our nation’s K-12 schools are far safer than surrounding areas of society is because firearms are very tightly regulated on school property," a memo from the lawyers to the Texas chapter states. It cites federal data showing that children are safer at school than elsewhere. "It is a myth that gun-free schools increase the dangers to our children."

Even as the Brady bunch lawyers spit out this bile, the Associated Press is reporting that yet another student has died from a gun shot wound in yet another "gun free" school zone.

A student fatally shot a 16-year-old classmate during a dispute Thursday at a Knoxville high school, as other teenagers watched in horror as the victim clutched his chest and fell to the floor.

The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. at the Central High School cafeteria, Chief Deputy Bill Roehl said, and the suspected shooter was taken into custody minutes later on a nearby street. The suspect and victim knew each other, Knox County School System Superintendent Bill McIntyre said.

So much for the Brady bunch's mythical claims of safety in places that, despite whatever they might name them, can never be considered "gun free."

According to the Houston Chronicle, Texas Gov. Rick Perry endorsed the concept of Harrold’s policy at a news conference last week, citing mass shootings he said could have been stopped if the victims had been armed. He cited the training required before a Harrold teacher or staff member can be approved to carry a gun as a factor that should alleviate concerns.