NRA unveils 'School Shield' recommendationsBy NBC NewsThe NRA-backed National School Shield program on Tuesday unveiled recommendations to protect schools from instances of violence, including a model program to train and enable school personnel to carry firearms.Former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson announces recommendations arising from the NRA's National School Shield Program, an initiative aimed at providing schools with armed guards.Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman and former head of the Drug Enforcement Agency, outlined recommendations he said would enhance school security. Hutchinson was tasked by the National Rifle Association following the December shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. to develop the recommendations to bolster school security.
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The NRA fights back - with mixed success The 225-page report presented on Tuesday includes eight recommendations, most notably a fuller articulation of the NRA’s proposal following the Newtown shooting to place
by CouponDropDown">armed security in every school in the country.
The report outlines a model
by CouponDropDown">training program for school resource officers and school personnel that, along with proposed changes to various state laws, would enable designated school personnel to carry firearms after having undergone training.
Other proposals include development of better security plans, and greater coordination between schools and state and local governments to fund security
by CouponDropDown">programs and develop safety programs.
Looking to add political cachet to the proposals, Mark Mattiolli, whose son was killed in the Newtown shootings, appeared as a “special guest” at the school shield press conference to applaud the new proposals.
Hutchinson said that only school safety – not potential new gun control proposals – was part of his mandate. “I have not focused on the separate debate in Congress about firearms and how they should be handled," he said.
This story was originally published on Tue Apr 2, 2013 11:31 AM EDT
