Rep. Ed Gainey and Wilkinsburg police officer Donald Hamlin fear arming teachers will cause confusion during a school crisis. Both oppose legislation to allow teachers to carry firearms. (Photo by Heather Mull/PublicSource)
Pennsylvania State Rep. Ed Gainey fears he’d be shot dead during a mass shooting if he were a gym teacher armed to protect a school. In that scenario, he imagines being seen by a police officer who doesn’t know him, who only sees an unknown Black man with a gun, and wrongly pulls the trigger.
Wilkinsburg police officer Don Hamlin acknowledged to a crowd of about 20 people that an officer in a crisis scenario could wrongly target an armed but well-meaning individual.
“The police may accidentally shoot one of these teachers who we don’t know is one of these teachers packing a gun,” Hamlin said outside the meeting, which was convened by local groups concerned that a state bill to arm teachers and school staff could gain momentum after a Feb. 14 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
READ ENTIRE ARTICLE AT:
https://www.publicsource.org/from-wilkinsburg-to-harrisburg-citizens-and-lawmakers-alike-discuss-arming-teachers-in-pennsylvania/
About Post Author
