The Missouri Senate has recently approved a controversial bill that would allow schools to hire armed guards to improve safety. The bill, sponsored by Missouri State Senator David Gregory, sparked outrage online, as many believe it would be ineffective at best and dangerous in the worst-case scenario.
As reported by STLPR, Missouri lawmakers have recently approved a bill that allows schools to hire “Missouri Rangers.” The rangers would be paid or volunteer guards who would be allowed to carry firearms in schools and would be required to have “physical fitness superior to a U.S. Marine.”
The bill would require these special school security officers to undergo at least 112 hours of training, or to be current law enforcement officers with at least 40 additional hours of school-specific training. The training would include close-quarters combat, arson response training, and de-escalation skills.
While defended by Republican legislators such as David Gregory, the bill was slammed by Democrats, who opposed bringing more guns into schools. To become law, the bill still has to be signed by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe.
Missouri Residents React to Bill that Could Lead Schools to Hire Armed Rangers
The sentiment in online forums such as Reddit’s r/Missouri was not positive regarding the bill. In fact, many users believed the measure could make schools even more dangerous: “Ranger danger. Incels with guns ‘protecting’ the children who can’t leave.”
Others pointed out what they saw as the irony of the proposal: “Volunteers for armed gunmen… in schools. Bringing guns into schools.” Some also slammed the Republican Party for defending the measure: “Republicans would rather put armed men in schools to spy on children than pay teachers a decent wage.”
Another issue raised was that schools in Missouri are already generally underfunded, which could create problems when it comes to implementing the program. As one user wrote, “With what money? Most Missouri schools can even keep their doors open 5 days a week.” Someone else added: “We’re cutting bus routes, teachers, and days in service. Where the [expletive] is this money gonna come from after 190 million was cut from our school budget?”
It remains to be seen whether the bill will be signed by the governor, but the overall sentiment was summed up by one user: “What is wrong with the MO legislature? Why do they keep doing stuff like this?”
