Originally published by the Inlander (http://www.inlander.com/spokane/bullets-and-bookbags/Content?oid=2219029)
by Daniel Walters
The production assistant from ABC’s 20/20 team thought he’d found a story in Coeur d’Alene. Supposedly, school district teachers there had begun carrying concealed handguns to protect against school shooters.
It was only when he called the district that he learned he’d been duped. The story was completely made up — his source turned out to be a satirical online newspaper similar to The Onion. But the truth wasn’t so far off. After the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary last December, two different camps demanded solutions. Gun control advocates said it was finally time for new legislation to rein in the availability and power of assault weapons. The NRA called for schools to add more armed personnel, reasoning that only a “good guy with a gun” could stop a “bad guy with a gun.”
As gun control attempts fizzled nationwide, many schools have pursued the NRA’s option. The Coeur d’Alene school district added additional police officers in the schools and spent $3,390 to install six gun safes in school offices, giving officers powerful rifles that can shoot accurately down long hallways. Spokane Public Schools plans to arm its security officers for the first time. And in Sandpoint, a school board member’s proposal to use armed volunteers — or even gun-toting teachers — has triggered contentious school board meetings and a recall campaign..