Legislation has been introduced in the Maryland General Assembly that would, if approved, place armed school resource officers, who are sworn peace officers, in elementary schools across the state, WJZ-TV (CBS affiliate) reports. The bill is one of several gun-related propositions making an appearance in Annapolis as the calendar year comes to an end.
Since the shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, schools and lawmakers everywhere have stepped up efforts to keep kids safe. One argument, advanced most recently by Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association, holds that “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
We refuted the extremism of this statement, but we must consider all options in making kids feel safe at school. Mass school shootings are rare, but they all have the quality of being possible at any neighborhood school. Some nut gets a few rifles, and 20 kids end up dead before anyone knows what happened.
Since laws must be applied equally to all elementary schools in the state, the program would cost an estimated $50 to $70 million annually. Presumably, this would all go to the salaries of the police officers in the schools.
Each high school and middle school in Maryland currently has one school resource officer on staff, but elementary schools do not. This bill would provide SROs in all the elementary schools as well.
“Currently in Baltimore County, we have school resource officers at our middle schools and high schools but why aren’t we protecting our elementary schools at the same time?” state delegate and former police officer John Cluster said.
He said the money for the plan would come from gambling revenue, expected to be more than $500 million annually.