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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Amy Wrany is ready.
If Colorado lawmakers ever decide to let educators carry concealed firearms in elementary and secondary schools, Wrany, a teacher in Harrison School District 2, probably will be packing heat.
"Since they started allowing it in Utah, there haven't been any incidents (of school shootings)," she said. "Most places that are not a gun-free zone don't get targeted, so it would be less likely to happen here."
Wrany was one of 380 educators from around the Front Range who attended a free concealed-carry class that the Centennial Gun Club, near Aurora, held over the summer.
It was the second time general manager Dick Abramson has offered the one-day class at no charge to anyone who works in a school system — administrators, teachers, secretaries, bus drivers, janitors. The normal fee is $175. Last November's class drew similar high interest, he said.
"We're very concerned about the situation with schools being attacked, and we like to get teachers more information on firearms," Abramson said. "We fear what we don't understand, and this class helps them be more comfortable and confident around firearms."
The June class had more participants from Colorado Springs than any other city, Abramson said, with additional attendees from nearby school districts in Monument, Woodland Park and Falcon.
Such a class is required for adults ages 21 years and older who want to obtain a concealed-weapon permit in Colorado and includes time on the shooting range.
"For many, it's the first time they've ever fired a gun," Abramson said, "and they feel empowered."
Joy Devore, who teaches in middle and high schools in Falcon School District 49, said she couldn't believe she actually shot a gun.
"I wanted to take the class just to step outside of my comfort zone," she said. "I've never really been around guns and would have no idea what to do if a shooter came into the school."
The goal, Abramson said, is that if a gun were to show up at school, in someone's backpack or someone's hand, trained teachers and other employees would have the ability to "keep everybody safe."
Some 35 volunteers taught sections of the class, including the sheriffs from Arapahoe and Douglas counties and 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler, who worked on the James Holmes trial. Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a Colorado nonprofit that promotes the "right to keep and bear arms" also helped with the event.
"It was really good information," Wrany said. "They guided you through the ins and outs and talked about different types of guns and ways to carry them. There was a lot of hands-on time."
Wrany said she has thought about getting a concealed-weapon permit for a while and plans to follow through. By obtaining a permit now, Wrany said, she won't have any waiting time, should legislators take action.
"I wish they would hurry up and legalize it because I think the instances (of school shootings) would go down dramatically," she said.
Devore, on the other hand, said she's pretty sure she would not bring a hidden gun into her classroom, if it were legal.
"I know I'd have to practice much more to feel comfortable carrying," she said. "Otherwise, I'd probably end up in more danger."
But she said the class helped her be better prepared to face an emergency on the job.
"To understand part of what a shooter is feeling and the concentration level it takes to shoot accurately helps bring confidence if I were ever in a situation where I'd have to talk someone down," Devore said.
NO GUN-FREE ZONES
Numerous school shootings that have killed and wounded students and teachers around the nation have led to improved security. Locally, most schools have locked doors and require visitors to push a buzzer and show identification to gain entry. Video monitors capture all angles of the buildings, inside and out.
Emergency drills for hostage or shooting situations are status quo today, and security guards and school resource officers, who are police officers or sheriff's deputies, are regular fixtures.
The possibility of something bad happening lingers in the back of teachers' minds, Wrany said.
"Sometimes I think about it. I don't a lot, but once something does happen and there's a lockdown, or if you have an upset parent, it does weigh in," she said.
Arming teachers has become a hotly debated issue. Two federal laws, The Gun-Free School Zones Act and The Gun-Free Schools Act, restrict the possession of firearms in or near schools.
According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, nearly all states and Washington, D.C., prohibit guns in K-12 schools, but 11 states allow concealed-weapon permit holders to carry firearms into schools.
The Centennial Gun Club's Abramson said Utah removed "gun-free zones" from its public elementary and secondary schools 12 years ago and "They've never had a school shooting."
In Colorado, it is against the law for any citizen to carry a gun inside a school. Concealed-weapon permit holders must lock their guns in their vehicle in a closed, secure compartment.
Rep. Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, who was a sophomore at Columbine High School during the 1999 shooting, and his father, Sen. Tim Neville R-Littleton, sponsored a bill in the spring to allow concealed-weapon permit holders the right to carry handguns at K-12 public schools.
It failed in committee, as did similar proposals in 2013 and 2014.
But Patrick Neville said he expects another measure to be introduced in the next session.
"Flashy 'gun free' signs do not deter criminals," he said. "It only invites them, and it's time we start using some common sense to address this threat. If something like that was in place on April 20, 1999, I think some of my classmates might still be here today."
Two students killed 13 people and wounded another 24 before committing suicide during the shooting spree at the Littleton high school.
Neville said he's passionate about the subject because of his experience at Columbine. He spoke at both Centennial Gun Club classes for educators.
"Teachers want to train themselves and equip themselves to protect our children. It is time to let common sense prevail by letting them do so," he said. "I'm tired of sending my kids to school on blind faith they will safely return from the forced victim zone our current policies have created."
Law enforcement officers and school security have legal authority to carry a gun inside a Colorado school. Many of the Pikes Peak region's school districts have armed security. Last school year, Colorado Springs School District 11 started giving school security guards the option of carrying handguns while on duty at middle and high schools. Twelve have been trained, said Devra Ashby, D-11 spokeswoman, and there have been no incidents of weapons being drawn.
Concealed-weapon permit holders are allowed to carry guns on state university campuses in Colorado, but openly carrying a firearm is not legal on college campuses.
There are a few exceptions at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus, said Susan Szpyrka, vice chancellor of administration and finance. Concealed weapons are not allowed in freshman housing on campus. Residents are usually under 21 years old and not eligible to receive concealed-weapon permits under Colorado law, she said, so it doesn't make sense.
UCCS also restricts possession of firearms at certain large events, including athletic events, Szpyrka said.
Students living in campus housing that does allow concealed carry must sign a contract to promote safety and agree to store weapons in a gun safe when they are not physically in the students' possession and to not display the weapon openly.
However, Szpryka said, since August 2014 when the policy went into effect, "No student residents of Alpine Village have requested a gun safe and no arrests involving a firearm have occurred on UCCS property."
THE OPPOSITION
A Quinnipiac University poll from April 2014 showed about half of Colorado voters supported allowing teachers and school officials to carry guns on school grounds. Nearly three-fourths were in favor of having metal detectors at school entrances.
Opponents do not believe arming teachers is the way to keep schools safe. Marta Fioriti, a religious leader at Broadmoor Community Church, United Church of Christ and a ministry candidate, said as a mother of three young children who attend public schools, said she has strong feelings against having guns in schools.
"If our end goal is not to have people coming into our schools with guns, we need to start by modeling it," Fioriti said. "Building a community is not about creating a community of fear but of using people's gifts and talents to make people safe."
Fioriti said she favors workshops that look at different types of responses to confrontation and conflict.
"Even if a teacher has a gun, imagine the scenario if some mentally ill person comes in and starts shooting. Is the teacher going to be trained enough to pull out a gun and start defending a class of 35?"
Scott Olson, executive director of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, which promotes nonviolence, said he worries that teachers having guns would send the wrong message to children.
"It brings unnecessary potential use of force into the classroom," he said. "Teachers would need to be on guard, and there's the possibility a kid could grab it. It's a sad situation we've gotten to this point, and I'd rather see alternatives."
Mike Martin, who runs an organization called RAWtools, which repurposes guns by turning them into garden tools, said arming teachers teaches kids that violence is an option to solving problems.
"I don't see the value; I'd rather put resources in other places — toward education of nonviolent confrontation, much like we've included anti-bullying and suicide-prevention education in schools."
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