This large, rural Colorado school district has adopted AR-15 carbines for extra security. (Photo: Fox News)
Following reports of an attempted school shooting, a Colorado school district decided to purchase and equip its security officers with AR-15 carbines. The Bushmaster carbines will be stored at the district’s security offices and checked out to officers out on patrol.
“I’m a parent, and I take it very serious,” said Director of Safety and Security Rich Payne to Fox News. “I’m making sure that everybody’s safe in my school district.”
“The weapons currently every day will be inside of a locked safe in a secured room inside the security department. They’ll be deployed into a locking mechanism that is inside our patrol vehicles very similar to the locking mechanisms that are inside law enforcement patrol vehicles and they will only be deployed if there is a situation where they need to be deployed,” said Payne. “They will not be in the schools.”
See Also: Missouri teachers prepare to ‘end the fight’ against school shooters
The carbines are there to better serve the officers if they ever have to deal with an active shooter or other violent situation on campus. Other school districts may consider following suit, especially rural districts, where emergency responder times can be slow. “My patrol officers may be the first ones closest to the school.”
“If we were in the city of Denver they have all the resources from local law enforcement,” “They have a lot more officers on the street. Here we don’t have as many officers.” School security officers will with the local sheriff’s department to properly use the rifles before they are issued. The officers already carry handguns on duty.
One of the 10 Bushmaster carbines. (Photo: Fox News)
A growing number of police and security departments issue carbines to their officers, including college and university campus security, but Douglas county is one of the first major public school districts to adopt a similar policy. In 2013, the Fontana Unified District in California purchased similar rifles for their police officers, reported the Washington Post.
The district purchased 10 Bushmaster carbines, vehicle locks and other accessories, for a little over $12,000. When they are not locked in the safe they will be locked in the patrol cars.
Late last year two Colorado girls were accused of plotting a school shooting targeting staff and students at a Douglas County school. Although police found no evidence of any impending criminal activity, the school’s security administrators decided to go ahead and upgrade their security.
Douglas County employs eight security officers and has been working with their local sheriff’s department for close to a year. “They recognized the sheriff’s deputies are often using long rifles during training, and that’s how the discussion began,” said district spokeswoman Paula Hans.
Doesn’t Colorado have an asinine magazine capacity limit of 15 rounds? Are the government’s firearms also restricted?
My major concern is that the officers be well-trained. It would be a good idea for the teachers to have a clue, too. Otherwise, they would just get in the way.
“When they are not locked in the safe they will be locked in the patrol cars” Pay attention.
…and by the time these officers check them out or unlock them from their secure storage in the patrol cars or storage areas it’ll be too late.
Then the gun grabbers will effectively make the argument that having armed school officers did no good.
They should be packing these weapons wherever they go.