A parent in Roxboro, N.C. has begun circulating a petition on social media for fellow parents in the district to support providing teachers with guns to keep in the classroom.

The petition made by parent Bruce Wrenn comes just days after presidential hopeful Ben Carson ignited the debate after declaring support for arming the nation's kindergarten teachers.

According to ABC News 11, "Wrenn's proposal says 'any administrator or teacher that has met all certifications and background checks will be allowed to have a board approved handgun that will be stored in a mounted and hardened cabinet. The cabinet can only be accessed with a fingerprint reader that will only work for that person.'

On one side of the debate, some feel as if guns in classrooms would promote safety in the case of active-shooter situations to prevent perpetrators from committing mass harm.

On the other hand, opponents feel that guns in classrooms pose further threats of violence.

Roxboro Attorney Danny Long told ABC News 11 that he would not support Wrenn's petition because he would fear that the guns would fall into the wrong hands, despite being locked up.

He also admitted worrying "about what one person described as the 'Barney Fife Syndrome.' Even if someone is trained and licensed to carry a gun, they may not be able to handle it in an 'active-shooter' situation," the article said.

Presidential hopeful Ben Carson recently said of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon that “[i]f the teacher was trained in the use of that weapon and had access to it, I would be much more comfortable if they had one than if they didn’t."

When further questioned about his comments, Carson said he wouldn't support all teachers being armed but rather only those who are trained and understand the implications. He did not elaborate on how trained and understanding teachers would be decided.

Users with access: weigh-in on the issue of arming teachers or administration with guns by taking our poll below.

Read the full story here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

10/09/2015