Insurers Refuse Schools Where Teachers Carry Guns Because Its
Too Risky
In the wake of the Newtown massacre, several states passed laws
to allow school officials to carry firearms on campus, arguing that
more guns would keep students safe. Insurance companies apparently
disagree now that these laws are beginning to take effect. In Kansas,
where the law kicked in July 1, major insurers have deemed the new
policy too risky and are refusing to cover schools that arm their
employees.
Des Moines-based EMC Insurance, which covers 85 to 90 percent of
Kansas school districts, has a longstanding policy of denying
coverage to schools that arm employees, and they seem unlikely to
change it to accommodate Kansas new law. Two smaller insurance
firms that cover the remaining 10 percent of Kansas schools are also
adopting the same policy. Insurers say the risk of giving guns to
anyone but law enforcement in a building full of children would make
a schools coverage much more expensive.
Weve been writing school business for almost 40 years, and
one of the underwriting guidelines we follow for schools is that any
on-site armed security should be provided by uniformed, qualified law
enforcement officers, EMC executive Mick Lovell told USA Today.
While no Kansas schools have thus far taken advantage of the new
law, districts all over the country started encouraging and even
requiring teachers to carry weapons after the Newtown shooting. Over
the weekend, a school district in Newcomerstown, Ohio, announced that
they would allow employees to carry guns starting in the 2013 school
year. The selected employees will undergo tactical training and get
certified by the Sheriffs department.
A week after the Newtown shooting in December, the National Rifle
Association pushed for more guns in schools, arguing that gun-free
zones attract killers. However, as the insurers recognize, arming
teachers and custodians poses a far greater danger. Nor do more
weapons do much to stop gunmen from doing harm; Columbine High
School, the site of one of the most deadly shootings in U.S. history,
had an armed guard. Most gunmen wreak havoc in just a few minutes,
which would require an armed staffer to have a lightning-fast
response time to disarm the shooter. Indeed, even gun shows require
aficionados to check their weapons at the door for safety reasons.
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