In North Dakota there is a big resource gap between rural schools and urban schools. The urban schools have large tax bases which allow them the sort of budget flexibility it takes to hire law enforcement resource officers. The rural schools, not so much. So a creative solution to the problem is legislation which would…
From The Left: School Gun Bill Seems Appropriate
I may surprise a few people this week, but after closely studying House Bill No. 1195, I am inclined to support it. The bill give school districts the authority to designate an individual to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds, but only after undergoing background checks, additional training on both firearms and violence prevention,…
Do We Really Want More Cops In Schools?
Yesterday there was a debate before the House Education Committee over two school security bills. One was HB1195, sponsored by Rep. Dwight Kiefer (R-Valley City), which would allow school boards to choose and train certain personnel to concealed carry on school grounds. The other was HB1388, also introduced by Kiefert, which would begin a pilot…
Reporter With Hidden Camera Testing School Security Prompts Lock Down
Late last year Fargo television station Valley News Live came under fire after a reporter with a hidden camera went into multiple schools and walked around to test how far she could get before school officials challenged her. As it turned out, security was pretty lax, but the reporter and her station came under heavy…
West Virginia Democrat Uses Heidi Heitkamp Approach For Talking Gun Control
Senator Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who once shot a copy of a cap and trade bill with a rifle in a campaign ad, has been going back and forth on gun rights issues since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting shoved the issue into the national limelight. First he was pro-gun control, then against…
Anti-Gun Group Declares Victory Over Heitkamp: "She Got The Message"
Over the weekend Senator Heidi Heitkamp made headlines when she called President Obama’s rumored gun control proposals “extreme.” That got the attention of the anti-gun left, who responded swiftly with an ad intending to shame Heitkamp into submission. Heitkamp’s media flaks responded quickly, assuring the anti-gun folks that Heitkamp isn’t ruling out gun control. “The…
Heidi Heitkamp Isn't Against Gun Control
Senator Heidi Heitkamp has been getting a lot of attention from pro-gun folks because she called the President’s gun control proposals “extreme.” My contention, though, based on Heitkamp’s comments in context is that she’s just posturing. She’s not against gun control. She’s just against being perceived as anti-gun. As proof, there’s this response from Heitkamp’s…