In the span of one week in 2024, Tennessee and Iowa joined the growing list of states that allow trained school staff to carry guns on public school grounds.
The laws significantly vary from state to state. For many, it is up to individual school districts to decide if they want to allow non-security staff to carry guns. Some have restrictions on where and when guns can be concealed, and required training and permitting also vary.
Just 16 states and the District of Columbia have laws specifically prohibiting teachers from carrying guns, according to USA Today. However, even those laws can vary, as denoted in the list below:
- Alabama (some school administrators are allowed to have a firearm if they complete the state’s sentry program and there isn’t a school resource officer available)
- California
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Nebraska (also prohibits guns for non-law enforcement school security)
- New York
- North Carolina (exception made for private schools)
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia (also prohibits guns for non-law enforcement school security)
- Wisconsin (also prohibits guns for non-law enforcement school security)
Amy Rock Editorial LLC 