Baltimore, MD –-(Ammoland.com)- Baltimore is one of the most violent cities in America. Even though Maryland has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country the use of illegal guns in crimes is rampant across the city. Homicides are at an all-time record high level.
Gang violence has inundated the Baltimore school system. One Baltimore school saw seven students killed in just 15 months. According to the local Baltimore CBS affiliate, WJZ13 several teachers and staff members have been attacked this school year. One school nurse talking to Fox45 described working in a Baltimore school as akin to going to war every day.
With all this violence in schools, it is up to the school board to protect the students and the staff members. They have decided the best way to protect their wards is for them to uphold a rule by a vote of 10-0 that bans police officers from carrying a gun within the school grounds.
State Del. Cheryl D. Glenn introduced HB31 which would have changed that law and allowed police to carry guns within the schools, but the Democrat had to withdraw the bill when it became apparent that neither the school board nor Mayor Catherine Pugh supported the bill.
The current law requires that school resource officers secure their sidearms during the day thus leaving them unarmed to respond to an incident that happens during the school day. Last year school resource officer, Blaine Gaskill, was able to stop a mass shooting at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.
In that case, a student shot his former girlfriend. Before the student could shoot any other students, Gaskill responded to the scene and was able to shoot and kill the suspect. Students, parents, and teachers hail Gaskill as a hero. They say that he saved the life of multiple students that day.
This failed attempt to change the law to allow police to carry firearms inside the school is the second attempt to allow police to be armed. In 2015 another bill was introduced into the legislature, but that bill was voted down by the mostly Democratic legislative body.
Parents worry that by arming police, it will allow the police to arrest more students. They feel that these arrests unfairly target black students. Out of the 90 arrests last year in Baltimore City school 89 of those arrested by police were black. Parents and activist believe that this shows systematic racism within Baltimore schools by the police. Blacks make up 63% of the student body of Baltimore’s schools.
Some parents argued at a recent school board meeting that armed police do not stop school shootings. The parents used the Parkland Florida shooting as an example. In that case, SRO Scot Peterson cowered outside the school as the mass shooting was carried out.
At the last school board meeting the student group “Baltimore Algebra Project” loudly protested the idea of allowing police to carry guns in schools.
The far left student group chanted “no guns in school” and “We gonna fight for our lives.”
The Fraternal Order of Police argued that there has never been a study that showed having armed police in schools makes the school more dangerous. They argued the opposite. Their theory is that by allowing police to carry their firearms inside school grounds it makes the schools safer. Their arguments fall on deaf ears when it comes to the school board.
Baltimore is the only school district in Maryland that prevents law enforcement officers from carrying their sidearms.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.