Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says one way to reduce the occurrence of school shootings is to arm teachers and train them how to respond to active-shooter situations.
“We need our teachers to be armed,” Mr. Patrick said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “When you’re facing someone who’s an active shooter, the best way to take that shooter down is with a gun, but even better than that is four or five guns to one.”
Ten students were killed and 13 injured on Friday when Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, allegedly opened fire at Santa Fe High School in Texas.
Mr. Patrick praised “heroic” first responders, but said having armed teachers may have saved lives.
“There was a teacher next door, a Marine, who saw what was going on, slammed the door, locked his door, protected his students,” he said. “Some feel had he been able to carry a gun, he would have been able to stop that shooter, had it been his choice.”
Texas currently leaves whether teachers can carry up to local control.
The lieutenant governor also said schools should be retrofitted to reduce the number of entrances to one or two.
“You have the necessary exits for fire, of course,” Mr. Patrick said, “but we have to funnel our students into our schools so we can put eyes on them.”
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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