This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 24, 2012 - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced today that he is strongly against legislative proposals to arm teachers and has sent a lettersaying as much to the superintendents of each of the state’s 520 public school districts.
The letter, dated Christmas Eve, is Nixon’s first major stand on the issue since the Dec. 14 killing of 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Conn.
It also marks a rare instance where the governor, a Democrat, has taken a clear and early stand in opposition to Republican proposals in the GOP-controlled General Assembly, which goes back into session Jan. 9.
“Putting loaded weapons in classrooms is quite simply the wrong approach to a serious issue that demands careful analysis and thoughtful solutions,” the governor wrote. Among other things, he also noted that the legislation would strip away “the authority of local school districts to keep guns out of the classroom” by continuing to bar weapons in schools.
“Current law also allows local school boards to prohibit guns in their classrooms,” Nixon wrote. “This is a time-tested and solid foundation that we should reinforce, not undermine… More can and should be done to enhance school safety, but this legislation would put our children at risk and limit the ability of local school districts to keep their schools safe.”
The governor’s stance indicates that he is likely to veto any legislation that would allow or require educators to be armed, setting up a potential earlier confrontation with GOP legislative leaders.
Nixon also made a point of noting that he formerly was Missouri’s attorney general for 16 years. What he didn’t mention is that he also is an avid hunter, garnering press attention in recent days over his efforts to persuade deer hunters to donate venison to programs that distribute the meat to low-income people in need of food.
Referring to the Connecticut mass killings, Nixon wrote, “As we come together to mourn the loss of these precious lives, we must also come together to ensure we are doing all we call to protect our communities, and especially our schools, from these types of heinous acts.”
“Here in Missouri we have a strong framework of laws to protect students and educators, such as the Missouri Safe Schools Act, which passed with broad bipartisan support in 1996. Current law also allows local school boards to prohibit guns in their classrooms. This is a time-tested and solid foundation that we should reinforce, not undermine.
“That is why I have serious concerns about recently introduced legislation that proposes not only to arm teachers, but to do so by taking away the authority of local school districts to keep guns out of classrooms. More can and should be done to enhance school safety, but this legislation would put our children at risk and limit the ability of local school districts to keep their schools safe. Putting loaded weapons in classrooms is quite simply the wrong approach to a serious issue that demands careful analysis and thoughtful solutions.”
The governor concluded by telling the superintendents that “in the days and weeks ahead, I will engage with Missourians to find common sense solutions to keep our schools safe.”
