In the state of Indiana, the law has mandated that no firearms be allowed on school grounds, establishing the crime of toting a gun to a place of education as a felony. However, Governor Pearce recently signed a bill into law that will tweak that rule once it goes into effect in July. SB 229 will allow firearms on school grounds, with conditions. Firearms are only to be allowed in school parking lots, and only then when they are locked within a vehicle. (It will still be a felony to bring a firearm into a school facility.)
While student concealed carriers may appreciate the change, a dissenting opinion has been voiced by some who feel it poses a security risk to even have guns on school grounds at all, even with the restrictions of keeping them locked in vehicles. According to one Indiana school official, the law could be troublesome. He expressed that intent will be harder to determine, now that “anyone” could have access to a firearm in their vehicle. He also remarked that having firearms on the property won’t help anyone in an emergency, as vehicles likely won’t be immediately accessible, should a crisis arise. An Indiana police captain voiced his concern that keeping firearms anywhere on school grounds isn’t safe. He pointed out that a locked vehicle isn’t guaranteed to be secure. Vehicles are sometimes broken into, and a firearm locked within could be stolen.
What do you think: does this small change represent a potentially great threat to security on school grounds, or is it merely a step in the direction of allowing law abiding citizens to better protect themselves?
Featured image courtesy of contributor CynthiaAnnF via istockphoto.com
