NC superintendent: Teachers should not have firearms in class

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson said Monday that teachers should not be armed in the classroom. Instead, he supports more funding for school resource officers.

Posted 9:12 p.m. Feb 26, 2018 — Updated 11:24 p.m. Feb 26, 2018

Kelly Hinchcliffe

, WRAL education reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson said Monday that teachers should not be armed in the classroom. Instead, he supports more funding for school resource officers.

"Firearms on school grounds should be in the hands of these trained, uniformed, law-enforcement professionals who courageously chose a career protecting citizens from violent threats," Johnson posted on Twitter Monday.

Johnson's comments come as state lawmakers are looking at ways to improve school safety in the wake of a Florida school shooting that killed 17 people. North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore has appointed a bipartisan committee to look at the issue.

Some Republican lawmakers have suggested allowing school personnel to carry concealed guns on campus, an idea President Donald Trump has shown interest in exploring on the national level.

North Carolina law permits only law enforcement officers to carry firearms at schools. All other weapons must be inside locked vehicles.

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