Teachers are meant to protect students with knowledge—not firearms.

But North Carolina lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow teachers and school volunteers at private schools to carry concealed guns on campus with permission from school leaders. All they’d need is a permit and basic training. No law enforcement experience. No public oversight.

House Bill 193 opens the door to untrained civilians carrying weapons in schools—around young children—without clear statewide standards for safety or accountability.

Supporters claim it’s about protecting students. But there’s no evidence that arming teachers prevents school shootings. In fact, it increases the risk of accidental shootings, stolen firearms, and deadly mistakes. Just last year in North Carolina, a school staff member left a loaded gun in a bathroom where a student found it.

Governor Josh Stein was right to veto this bill. He said what many parents, teachers, and law enforcement professionals already know: the answer to gun violence in schools is not more guns.

Let’s be clear—teachers are not trained tactical responders. Armed staff are no substitute for professional school resource officers, crisis-trained police, or the real investments we need in school safety and mental health.

Sign this petition to tell North Carolina lawmakers:
Do not override this veto. Keep guns out of our classrooms. Protect our kids, not the gun lobby.