With concealed carry laws going through the motions of the Missouri legislative system “safety” seems to be the big word being tossed around between students and teachers, but one could argue that no one cares more for the safety of a campus’ students than their parents, who seem ambivalent on the idea of having guns on the premises.
One such parent against the idea is Kristina Heberer, the mother of a student at East Central.
“I like the idea for extra safety, maybe it would save lives should an incident arise. Guns in the hands of young adults who are still trying to figure out who they are – absolutely not,” Heberer said.
Because of the supposed volatile nature of young adults, it’s not hard to understand why parents would feel this way.
Another parent of a Missouri child in school, Ralph Macanuffo said that he is simply not comfortable with young adults wielding concealed weaponry on campus.
“The risk isn’t worth the reward,” Macanuffo said.
While some parents oppose the idea, others gladly support the idea of students having a way to protect themselves on campus.
“Concealed carries should be allowed anywhere that alcohol is not involved,” A concealed carry permit owner Shirley Stillwell said.
Yet another parent, Katie Spangenberg, also feels comfortable allowing the students of Missouri to protect themselves.
“Sure, I think our children should have protection from the wackos,” Spangenberg said.
The main issue that seems to divide parents is whether or not safety amongst students would truly improve by adding more guns into the mix.
Though all parents interviewed agreed that they would be comfortable with staff being allowed to carry a concealed weapon, so long as they had proper training and background checks. Perhaps this is the happy medium that Missouri is looking for when it comes to this compelling topic.
ECC Cornerstone 