Gainesville School Board OKs Gun Policy; Should Gwinnett Follow?

School resource officers in nearby Gainesville soon will have access to "long-range rifles" at some schools, according to a media report.

According to the Gainesville Times, the Gainesville school board approved the measure at its meeting Monday (Dec. 16).

“We have a very strong relationship with Gainesville Police Department,” Chairwoman Maria Calkins said in the Times. “We work with them every day to protect the kids and make Gainesville City Schools a safe place.”

The new policy calls for one rifle each in Gainesville High School, Gainesville Middle School and Wood’s Mill Academy. The proposed gun, a Colt 6920 M4 carbine, would be kept in a safe, accessible only by the school resource officer. Also, the rifle would never be on campus if the resource officer was not there; it would be locked inside the officer's vehicle, the Times reported.

Estimated cost is $6,000, to be divided between the school system and police department.

The action comes as the nation remembers the one-year anniversary of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

During his appearance in Duluth in October 2013, radio talk show host Herman Cain touched on the subject of school shootings.

"Each community should decide for itself how it will protect its children," Cain said.

-- So we ask, do you think the Gainesville policy will be an effective deterrent to possible school shootings? Should Gwinnett County schools adopt a similar policy? Tell us in the comments below.