As reported by Ryan Quinn in today’s Charleston Gazette-Mail, the WV House Education Committee advanced a bill for school districts to allow school personnel to be armed:

The West Virginia House Education Committee has again advanced a bill that would let teachers and principals bring concealed guns into public schools, if their county board of education approves it — or if the state Homeland Security secretary overrules the school board.
House Education passed a similar bill last year, but the House Judiciary Committee never advanced it. Both years, the legislation has been dubbed House Bill 2364.

Training would be required including an “active shooter training program.”

I liked the response from teacher, Jessica Salfia:

Let me get this straight, WV. The same lawmakers who don’t trust us to choose our own curriculums and novels, who are afraid of scarring kids with scenes from literature, also think we should be able to CARRY GUNS INTO BUILDINGS WITH CHILDREN. 🙃 Make it make sense.

— Jessica Salfia, NBCT (@jessica_salfia) February 17, 2022

West Virginia is not alone. Yesterday, the AP reported:

The Arizona House on Thursday approved two Republican-backed bills that would loosen gun laws by allowing firearms in libraries and many other public buildings and by permitting loaded weapons to be carried in vehicles on school grounds.

And last month, in Wisconsin (according to the AP):

The Wisconsin Assembly approved a package of Republican-authored bills on Thursday that would dramatically expand gun rights in the state, moving forward with the proposals even though Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will almost certainly veto them.

The proposals would allow people with concealed carry licenses to go armed on school grounds and in churches attached to private schools; lower the minimum age for obtaining a concealed carry license from 21 to 18; and allow anyone with a concealed carry license from any state to go armed in Wisconsin. Currently, only people with licenses from states that conduct background checks on applicants can carry concealed guns in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, some West Virginia legislators appear to want an armed state believing that somehow that will make us safe. For example, in 2018, legislators looked at the Campus Self Defense Act and a similar bill in 2019. (Both were pushed by the NRA.) From my experience (I spent all of my working years in education), I do not think that allowing guns (beyond law enforcement personnel) should ever be allow on campus.