The Greeley Tribune’s editorial board is weighing in, with a qualified endorsement, on an independent effort to train concealed-carry permit-holding K-12 educators in the use of firearms to defend their campuses. You’ve read about it on this blog; it’s the “FASTER” program that picks up where the split 2017 legislature – one chamber is in each party’s hands – stopped short.

You’ll recall a GOP bill passed by the state Senate would have provided the training to designated faculty and staff with concealed-weapons permits; as anticipated, the measure never made it past a “kill committee” in the Democratic-dominated House. So, Coloradans for Civil Liberties, a group affiliated with Denver’s libertarian-leaning Independence Institute, announced recently it would begin offering privately the same kind of training that the legislature ultimately rejected. The first training session was held in Greeley with the assistance of the Weld County Sheriff”s Office.

Opines the Tribune:

If teachers and other educators are allowed to have guns in schools, we certainly would prefer they are trained.

… (Weld County Sheriff Steve) Reams believes quick response is essential in school shootings and that having somebody on hand who can respond may reduce the number of injuries and deaths. It’s hard to disagree with that. It particularly makes sense in small rural schools, where law enforcement indeed can be many minutes or even hours away.

The newspaper’s editorial also expresses reservations, though:

Our preference would be to have trained security guards (many of whom are former police officers) or hired law enforcement officials in schools. We think there is too much that can go wrong when guns are prevalent in schools.

There are examples of guns being accidentally fired or taken by a student. When many school shootings occur, even trained law enforcement officials can have a hard time determining the good guys from the bad guys when they enter a school.

State law already allows concealed-carry permit holders to pack heat on campus if the school approves. An estimated dozen mostly rural school districts, including the small Hanover School District 28 near Colorado Springs, have granted such approval – essentially deputizing staff to enhance security given meager resources for full-time guards.

The trainees go through firearm-accuracy drills and fire more than 1,000 rounds by the end of the class. The course covers wide-ranging topics, including first-aid for gunshot victims. Each trainee also participates in live simulations with non-lethal pellet guns.