As the discussion on school safety grows, the idea of arming teachers continues to get a lot of debate.

President Donald Trump said this week that he is in favor of allowing gun-adept teachers to carry firearms on a voluntary basis.

Trump said only teachers with military or special training experience would be able to carry firearms.


The debate has sparked an online movement with teachers using the hashtag #ArmMeWith. They list things they would rather have than guns, like first grade teacher Lindsey Paull who wrote "arm me with books because six year olds need to learn to read, not be scared in class."

The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 makes it illegal for anyone, except law enforcement, to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

However, many other teachers are showing interest to carry guns on school property. And in Ohio, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones wrote on Twitter this week. 

Jones said he had 300 teachers sign up in just eight hours.

In Florida, State Senate President Joe Negron says he supports the idea of arming trained teachers.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has been pushing his idea called the Sentinel program that would allows teachers who want to be armed to go through specialized training, becoming partially deputized by sheriff's office.

That would making them part of the exception to the Federal Gun Free School Zones Act that allows law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school property.