700 pack free concealed-handgun class for teachers in Tarrant County
Apr. 07, 2013
By Sarah Bahari

" KENNEDALE -- After a spring break cruise, Leah Smith and her family returned home to find their garage door dented and backyard fence smashed.

Police confirmed that their Grand Prairie home had been the target of an unsuccessful break-in.

"That was a wake-up call," said Smith, a gun owner for the past decade. "We got lucky this time, but we knew we needed to better arm ourselves."

So when the first-grade teacher heard that a free concealed-handgun-license class -- largely prompted by the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. -- was being offered to Texas educators, she immediately signed up.

Billed as the "largest CHL class ever held," the all-day session drew roughly 700 teachers and administrators Saturday to the Performing Arts Center at Kennedale High School.

Participants delved into gun safety, state and federal laws, and dispute resolution, among other topics. Firing at a gun range comes later.
. . .
Texas law allows school districts to decide whether to let licensed employees carry guns on campus. Only a few districts permit it, although others have weighed changing their policies or have increased security measures.
. . .
Last week, a plan to train armed teachers to engage in gunfights with intruders in classrooms, at campus sporting events or at board meetings won approval from the Texas Senate Education Committee and now heads to the full chamber, The Associated Press reported.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, calls for 16 hours of training to show teachers how to protect children first, then return fire.
. . .."


http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/04/07/...ed-handgun.html

At the performing arts center, no less. I like it.