Harford County Del. Rick Impallaria has filed a bill in Annapolis that would give public school districts across the state the authority to allow certain or selected employees to carry guns on school property to prevent or minimize the loss of lives in school shootings.

Student, Meghan Stevens’s response to the gun laws was “It’s a hard topic, a sensitive topic due to all the shootings but I think that if it is used for protection and not harm, it is ok.”

In 2012, a Perry Hall High School student was injured in a shooting at the school. Baltimore County police responded to a fight in the schools parking lot that went viral earlier this month, which was captured in a viral video, involving an 18-year-old man who appeared in the video to have been carrying an airsoft pellet gun.

Impallaria announced that school districts would not be forced to allow their employees to carry weapons. However, the legislation allows them to work with law enforcement and set up a program through which select employees, such as former law enforcement or military who have firearms training, to carry weapons in public schools.

Student, Kailee Wilson states “ It’s really scary with how many students are at risk every day, but I don’t think people having guns would benefit the situation because it’s just another battle to have to take care of. “

Plans to introduce the legislation dubbed the “Parishioner Protection Act of 2018,” which has the support of some members of the Harford County clergy, were announced last month. Active shooter workshops hosted by the Sheriff’s office and the Aberdeen police department in late 2017 were attended by members of the public seeking ways to protect themselves.

It will be interesting to see what developments unfold under this hotly contested issue.