School Board Hears Opinions on Gun Issue

The School Board for Park County District 6 has a dilemma on its hands – how to make policy regarding armed staff in the school buildings.
It was standing room only at last night’s board meeting, with a number of people choosing to share their stance on the question at hand – whether or not trained staff should be allowed to carry concealed weapons to protect students in case of a school shooting situation.
One of the speakers was Shirley Stephens, who has served on a group that took surveys of Wyoming Superintendents about the topic of guns in schools. She asked that the board take their time to make a decision that is right for this school district.

A small group of students, led by Caitlyn Murray, urged the board to choose not to allow armed staff, saying it would be a dangerous distraction to students who are there to learn.

Both Marge and Bill Tallen spoke in favor of the proposal. Bill walked the board and spectators through the timeline of a school shooting situation, which he says proves that having armed staff on site at the time of an active shooter situation would save dozens of lives.

Taking a different stance, former administrator Larry Gerber simply asked that the propaganda being spread be pulled back, and that the board make their decision on facts alone. As an example, Gerber spoke directly against a comment made by Trustee Scott Weber in a previous meeting. At a meeting two weeks ago, Weber said that the Aurora movie theatre shooter chose the movie theatre that he did because it was a posted “Gun-Free Zone.” Gerber, who lost a close relative in that incident, said that Weber’s comment had no basis in fact.

The Board took no action at last night’s meeting regarding this topic.