Rep. Larry Pittman

Rep. Larry Pittman (R-Cabarrus) introduced HB 216 in February of this year. The School Self-Defense Act would create the position of volunteer school faculty guardian. This would apply to either full or part-time faculty and staff who possessed a valid NC Concealed Handgun Permit. The school faculty guardian would also have to take a special 16-hour training class, submit annual certification of marksmanship and of possessing a CHP to the chief administrator of the school system, keep the handgun concealed unless responding to an act of violence, and submit to an annual drug testing. School systems would have the opportunity to opt out of this program.

Grass Roots North Carolina is urging that people contact Republican legislators and urge them to bring this bill forward. Their alert is below.

DEMAND REPUBLICANS PROTECT NC’S SCHOOLS

H216 is a bill that will allow the true protection of schoolchildren… The anti-gun crowd is content to posthumously praise the brave souls who throw themselves in front of innocents, or charge wicked gunmen in order to save the lives of others. Save lives these courageous people do, and heroes they are. Yet, anyone with exceptional sense would be hard-pressed to come up with a reason why these heroes must always be unarmed, only to be seriously injured or killed while carrying out their valiant acts. Why must the fruitfulness of these acts be so limited? The answer is simple: political leaders and activist groups have set it up that way. Those hostile to the Second Amendment are proud of having disarmed the good guys by creating “gun free” zones in schools and elsewhere, leaving adults and the children in their care to fight psychotic leviathans with staplers and pencils. Well, it doesn’t have to be this way. H216: Genuine School Safety Pro-gun stalwart and GRNC four-star Representative Larry Pittman (Cabarrus, Rowan), is once again at the forefront of the push for a practical and appropriate solution to this societal concern. For the sake of protecting schoolchildren, Rep. Pittman is imploring his Republican colleagues to advance H216 (School Self-Defense Act) to once and for all put responsible adults, those nearest to the schoolchildren during daytime hours, in a position to actually protect those children in a practical and effective manner, should it be necessary. On a volunteer basis, H216 would allow educators to carry concealed firearms to deter mass killings in schools. It is modeled after a federal program to arm professional airline pilots as “Federal Flight Deck Officers.” Have questions? Below are some facts related to this proposal: 25 states allow schools or districts to give permission to individuals to carry guns: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. At least 14 states allow concealed carry in schools: The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington. At least 9 states specifically allow school employees to carry guns on school property: The states include: Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. Florida created a school marshal system: Florida created a $67 million “school marshal” program to arm teachers in classrooms, in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Arming faculty reduces school shootings: A new study entitled “Schools that Allow Teachers to Carry Guns Are Extremely Safe: Data on the Rate of Shootings and Accidents in Schools that Allow Teachers to Carry found that: Zero school shootings at schools with armed faculty: During hours when armed teachers would logically be present, none of the schools with armed faculty experienced school shootings. A significant increase in school shootings at schools which do NOT allow armed faculty: Between 2001 and 2018, the number of school shootings at schools which did not allow armed faculty more than doubled. You Can Help Protect Schoolchildren Representative Pittman and the other sponsors of H216 need your help. They want to shepherd H216 through the legislative process and get down to the serious (and very sensible) business of actually protecting children in schools, rather than doing everything under the bureaucratic sun to stall. Enough blue-ribbon panels, enough useless gun control proposals. If you’re a parent, you know what parents really want, parents who have real-life children in real-life schools (and incidentally, parents who vote). You want your children protected—really protected—Now! Another “Governor’s Select Committee” isn’t going to cut it. Below, see how you can easily contact Republicans in the NC House to demand that they stop stalling, and get to the serious business of protecting children in schools—now! Insist they do whatever is necessary to move H216 through committee, on to the floor for a vote, so it can move to the NC Senate.   Support “Rights Watch International” Learn more about Rights Watch International You shop. Amazon Gives. (What is Amazon Smile?)

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

EMAIL REPUBLICANS IN THE NC HOUSE: Use the copy/paste email list provided below, and the copy/paste message provided under ‘Deliver This Message’ section. PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO GRNC: Help us fight gun control while we promote Second Amendment principles. Please CLICK HERE to contribute. Bear in mind that GRNC is an all-volunteer organization, so you can be sure your donations are put to the best possible use. Any amount helps, and any amount is appreciated. *NC House Republicans Copy/Paste Email List(s): Dean.Arp@ncleg.net; Lisa.Barnes@ncleg.net; John.Bell@ncleg.net; Hugh.Blackwell@ncleg.net; Jamie.Boles@ncleg.net; William.Brisson@ncleg.net; Mark.Brody@ncleg.net; Dana.Bumgardner@ncleg.net; Jerry.Carter@ncleg.net; Debra.Conrad@ncleg.net; Kevin.Corbin@ncleg.net; Ted.Davis@ncleg.net; Jimmy.Dixon@ncleg.net; Josh.Dobson@ncleg.net; Jeffrey.Elmore@ncleg.net; John.Faircloth@ncleg.net; John.Fraley@ncleg.net; Edward.Goodwin@ncleg.net; Holly.Grange@ncleg.net; Destin.Hall@ncleg.net; Kyle.Hall@ncleg.net; Bobby.Hanig@ncleg.net; Jon.Hardister@ncleg.net; Kelly.Hastings@ncleg.net; Cody.Henson@ncleg.net; Craig.Horn@ncleg.net; Julia.Howard@ncleg.net; Chris.Humphrey@ncleg.net; Pat.Hurley@ncleg.net; Frank.Iler@ncleg.net; Steve.Jarvis@ncleg.net; LindaP.Johnson@ncleg.net; Brenden.Jones@ncleg.net; Donny.Lambeth@ncleg.net; David.Lewis@ncleg.net; Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net; Chuck.McGrady@ncleg.net; Allen.McNeill@ncleg.net; Tim.Moore@ncleg.net; Gregory.Murphy@ncleg.net;  Larry.Potts@ncleg.net; Michele.Presnell@ncleg.net;  Dennis.Riddell@ncleg.net; David.Rogers@ncleg.net; Stephen.Ross@ncleg.net; Jason.Saine@ncleg.net; Wayne.Sasser@ncleg.net; John.Sauls@ncleg.net; Mitchell.Setzer@ncleg.net; Phil.Shepard@ncleg.net; Carson.Smith@ncleg.net; Sarah.Stevens@ncleg.net; Larry.Strickland@ncleg.net; John.Szoka@ncleg.net; John.Torbett@ncleg.net; Rena.Turner@ncleg.net; Harry.Warren@ncleg.net; Donna.White@ncleg.net; Larry.Yarborough@ncleg.net; Lee.Zachary@ncleg.net * Limitations of certain email programs and spam filters may require you to send this message to smaller lists. If that is necessary, the above email list is conveniently split into three parts to allow you to easily send this message three times—once to each list.

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Enough is enough. Pass H216 to Protect Schoolchildren”   Dear Representative: I am writing today to make it clear that I’ve had it “up to here” with blue-ribbon panels, governor’s select committees, and useless gun control proposals. Every second that ticks by is another second that schoolchildren in North Carolina are not protected in any effective manner from mass shooters. You have the power to change that, and I demand that you do. Right now, H216 (the School Self-Defense Act) is in a position to receive a committee hearing and then move to the floor for an up-or-down vote. This bill would allow educators to carry concealed firearms to deter mass killings in schools, and is modeled after a federal program to arm professional airline pilots as “Federal Flight Deck Officers.” Below is some information that greatly strengthens the case for H216: – 25 states allow schools or districts to give permission to individuals to carry guns. – At least 14 states allow concealed carry in schools. – At least 9 states specifically allow school employees to carry guns on school property. – Florida created a school marshal system in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. – Arming faculty reduces school shootings. Note there have been zero school shootings at schools with armed faculty. During hours when armed teachers would logically be present, none of the schools with armed faculty experienced school shootings. There is a significant increase in school shootings at schools which do NOT allow armed faculty. Between 2001 and 2018, the number of school shootings at schools which did not allow armed faculty more than doubled. The Republican Party still holds a majority in the General Assembly and the excuses are wearing thin. I demand that you do whatever it takes to shepherd H216 through the legislative process. Unfortunately, there is always a lingering possibility of a school shooting. With that in mind, I insist that you do everything you can to make it possible for teachers to protect the children under their care. I will be monitoring your actions on this matter through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina. Respectfully,