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A New Reality? Parkland Shooting Commission Recommends Arming Teachers

The commission investigating Florida’s Parkland shooting recommended Wednesday that trained and willing educators be allowed to carry guns in schools, reigniting a debate about an idea President Donald Trump had embraced earlier this year.

By Andrew Atterbury

The commission investigating Florida’s Parkland shooting recommended Wednesday that trained and willing educators be allowed to carry guns in schools, reigniting a debate about an idea President Donald Trump had embraced earlier this year.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, chairman of the high-profile commission, suggested the idea late Wednesday as the panel worked to finalize a report that must be delivered to the state Legislature by the end of the month.

"We need to put aside these ideological positions and realize what reality calls for," Gualtieri said.

His remark set off a lengthy discussion that ended with just one commissioner opposing the idea: Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, died in the February massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Commissioners ultimately approved adding the recommendation to their final report, proposing a major expansion of the state’s Guardian Program, which has allowed some non-educators to carry weapons in schools.

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