Virginia State Delegate: Some School Staff Should Carry Guns

Lawmakers nationwide are discussing the possibility of enacting tighter gun control laws after the recent shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

But in Virginia, one local legislator has proposed that some school staff be required to bear arms.

Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, has proposed a bill that would require schools to have some staff, certified in gun safety and competence, carry concealed weapons, according to The Washington Post.

His proposal comes on the heels of Gov. Bob McDonnell's comments on WTOP that the state should consider allowing teachers to carry weapons in schools.

Marshall's proposal takes the idea a step farther, ordering schools to arm some staff members.

Gun control and schools are very much on the minds of state legislators across the country. Michigan's governor on Tuesday vetoed a proposal to allow gun owners with additional training to openly carry weapons in schools and other no-carry zones. A South Carolina legislator also filed a bill to allow school employees with concealed carry permits to bring their weapons to their school. And a Missouri legislator filed a similar bill this week. 

Speak out: What do you think about concealed weapons in schools? Does it make students more or less safe?