'Not what they signed up for'

“This is a really heavy topic and nobody wants to be having this conversation, but I do think it’s in our best interest to have these discussions and make decisions on our own behalf.”

A closing comment from Kassey Westring, chairman of the Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Board of Trustees, summarized a nearly hour long discussion at their pre-meeting work session on September 16. The topic, which included both Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken and Encampment Police Chief Kevin Shue, was whether or not to draft a concealed carry policy for school district staff.

Proactive vs. Reactive

For the past five years, the Wyoming Legislature has repeatedly attempted to repeal gun-free zones in public areas and would allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to bring a firearm onto public school campuses. The most recent attempt, in 2024, passed both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Mark Gordon. According to Superintendent Darrin Jennings, the Wyoming Association of School Administrators encouraged superintendents to hold a conversation with their respective school boards “to keep it a local issue.”

“We don’t want our legislators saying everyone who walks through our doors can carry [a firearm],” said Jennings. “We want a good policy that says staff members can carry if they have the right mindset, if they have the right training and if we know it’s in the best interests of our kids for that adult to carry.”

In 2017, the legislature passed House Bill 194 which was signed into law by Governor Matt Mead which provided guidelines for adopting rules for allowing firearms on school property. The bill was co-sponsored by former representative Jerry Paxton (R - Encampment) and Senator Larry Hicks (R - Baggs).

Under 21-3-132 of the Wyoming State Statute, a school board in each school district may allow employees of the school district to bring firearms onto school property if they hold a valid concealed carry permit. Employee, as defined by this section, includes superintendents and assistant superintendents, principals and assistant principals, teachers, guidance counselors, librarians, teacher’s aides, coaches, secretaries, bus drivers and managers.

“If we go forward with a policy, it’s in conjunction with our law enforcement, working with our administrators and working with key board members to develop a policy that would work for our school district,” said Jennings.

As the discussion began, Bakken provided his insight on the matter, emphasizing that while he was pro-Second Amendment he was much more in support of responsible gun ownership.

“You can never ‘unfire’ a bullet,” said Bakken. “When it comes to implementation of staff carrying firearms, the success or failure is going to depend largely on how that’s implemented. Under 21-3-132, the State mandates 16 hours of initial live fire training followed by eight hours of scenario based training and then an annual requirement of 12 hours additional training. I think that’s a good baseline, but it’s also important to remember that training doesn’t automatically make someone a good shooter.”

Bakken cited a study conducted by the RAND Corporation regarding officer involved shootings, or OSIs, which found the average accuracy of an officer in a shooting was 18%. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, statistics from the New York Police Department showed an accuracy of 18% for officers involved in a gunfight. Additionally, the Dallas Police Department showed accuracy of 35% and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department had an accuracy range of 23% to 52% over a seven year period.

The sheriff also echoed Jennings’ concerns regarding the eventuality of a law which would repeal gun-free zone status for public schools.

“I feel that, with the increased presence of the Freedom Caucus at the state level, the repealment of gun-free zones is going to continue to be pushed. I do feel it is simply a matter of time before it is pushed,” said Bakken. “ If we come together prior to that and establish procedures, protocols, policies [and] trainings it shows the State that we’re proactive in this measure versus reactive.”

Consider the Weight

As discussion continued, board member Charlie George asked Bakken if he believed policies set by Park County School District No. 6 and Uinta County School District No. 1 were good enough frameworks for a policy for CCSD2.

The policy for Park County is 16 pages long. Along with following state statute, it also dictates the type of firearm allowed, acceptable manufacturers, magazine requirements and concealment requirements. The policy also dictates the type of holster for the firearm and the ammunition used.

Both policies also dictate that district employees who wish to conceal carry a firearm on school property must undergo a psychological evaluation. This last provision appeared to be something which CCSD2 would consider for a policy as well.

“I don’t think people truly consider the weight of carrying a firearm and what it may mean. If you pull that trigger on another human being, you’re going to have some very serious long-term repercussions for your mental health and your life,” said Bakken. “I believe that’s a really important thing to look at when it comes to knowing yourself and knowing if you’re able to do that.”

The weight of the discussion did not appear to be lost on anybody in attendance.

“If somebody volunteered, you’d need to ask them ‘Could you shoot one of your students [if they were the shooter]? If it came to that, could you do that?’ I don’t know if I could,” said Ryan Searle, district curriculum director. ‘I could talk to them and yell at them, but I don’t know if I could pull the trigger. The mental ramifications of this after the fact—it’s going to be life changing and I think we need to consider that as well.”

These were similar sentiments expressed by Shue.

“It’s going to be tough on teachers because we’re going to ask them to be policemen and that’s not what they signed up for,” said Shue. “Unfortunately, I think it’s come down to a reality of life. None of us quite understand how we got here, but this is where we’re at.”

‘Don’t Ask Me To Carry’

Board member Maria Johnson asked if the administration had talked with teachers and staff in the school district about the potential policy. Jennings said he had received two responses.

“One was positive and one was ‘Don’t ask me to carry a gun,’” said Jennings. “The one that was positive thanked us for looking into the idea.”

This appeared to be a sentiment expressed by those teachers and staff which the school principals in attendance had spoken to about the potential policy.

“I spoke with a few teachers. I would say they were all in support of it, they appreciated the fact we were discussing it because they don’t want it to come from the top down,” said Jake Johnston, principal of Encampment K-12 School. ‘Some of them also said ‘Please don’t ask me to do it.’ I think that would be something you can’t force teachers to do, it would have to be voluntary.”

According to Eli Hobbs, principal of Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) high school, the larger concern among his staff is whether or not they will ever need such a policy.

“Every time some other school is making the news, they think about it, they worry about it. It’s a concern of theirs. Most of what I’ve heard has been reiterated already. I’ve heard nobody opposed to it,” said Hobbs. “I do have two people who were very in favor of it, especially if they were allowed to carry some type of weapon that’s non-lethal.”

Jackie Jones, principal of elementary schools in Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow, said a staff member compared the concealed carry policy to insurance. She added that while she couldn’t see a lot of staff in Hanna volunteering to carry a firearm, “I feel the front office would be well represented.”

Due to what many of the administrative staff had reported hearing, the voluntary aspect of a potential policy was stressed both by the sheriff and by members of the board.

“If there is a policy, they [teachers] would have to want to do this. It’s not something you just want somebody assigned,” said Vice Chairman Joe Gaspari. “The fact that we have the policy, even if no teacher ever agreed, may be a deterrent.”

Bakken added that the voluntary aspect of the policy would be vital to its success, if such a policy were to be implemented.

“Teachers typically don’t sign up to carry a gun and may have to take someone’s life. It’s a very different skillset, a very different occupational directive,” said Bakken. “It always sounds clean and cut and dry when you’re talking about it in a workshop. When things go south and bad things happen, they get very, very ugly and confusing very quickly. It’s not like shooting a standing target at a range. It’s a whole different world.”

Moving Forward

A cloud over the entire discussion appeared to be the potential of the gun-free zones being repealed, allowing anyone to be able to carry a firearm onto school property. For some, this brought fears of highly charged situations—such as tense high school sporting events—taking a turn for the worse.

Another concern expressed was whether it would be made public as to which staff members were allowed to conceal carry. According to state statute, however, the identities of employees with permission to conceal carry must be confidential and are not considered public records. George said, beyond those on the school board and district administration, law enforcement should be made aware of which district employees are carrying firearms.

“It brings up one of my biggest fears as a law enforcement officer. Our active shooting training is pretty straightforward. We’re trained to find the shooter and engage the shooter. That’s it,” said Bakken. “My fear is that if we see someone with a gun who is a staff member carrying, in the heat of the moment we think they’re the active shooter. All of a sudden, you have law enforcement engaging a teacher.”

Shue added that district employees could undergo training similar to law enforcement regarding plain clothes incidents. According to Shue, in the event of an active shooter situation, officers are trained how to respond if they are in plain clothes. Part of that training is to concede the situation to a uniformed officer upon their arrival. He added that, when calls are made about an active shooter, the more detailed description of the suspect the better it is for responding uniformed officers.

“We can address that in training,” said Shue.

While no official action was taken, the board appeared to agree on the formation of a committee composed of board members and district staff to work on drafting a policy. According to Jennings, the process would take several months with a policy likely being presented early next year. The process, he said, would involve speaking with staff members at each school in the district and speaking with community members.

“We have a lot of work to do if we decide we want to implement a procedure. I am also really proud of our district for taking the steps in having the discussion and making decisions that are best for us,” said Westring. “If we show that we’re doing these things at the local level, maybe the state level won’t want to come in and force these things upon us. I believe, at the state level, if that were passed anybody could conceal carry at any kind of sporting event which was my biggest concern.”