Ten semi-automatic rifles have been purchased for the armed patrol division of the Douglas County school district, and some parents are questioning the move.
The eight members of the armed patrol division who could access the weapons are a small part of the district’s security team. They are former law enforcement officers who are employed by the school district. The weapons would be locked up in patrol cars.
"With a district as large as ours -- as far as square miles, 900 square miles -- there is a possibility that if something were to happen at a school one of our armed security officers may be the first to respond," said district spokesperson Paula Hans.
But some parents are questioning this move. Liz Wagner, a gun owner who lives in the district, questions whether that policy will really make a difference.
"If there was an active shooter situation, how likely is it that that [officer] could actually be at the right place at the right time," she said. "That they would know what to do more so than our sheriff’s office would?"
The officers are expected to get the guns within a month, after completing 20 hours of training.
