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24 Feb, 2016 17:10

'Arm the teachers': Columbine survivor now a pro-gun legislator

'Arm the teachers': Columbine survivor now a pro-gun legislator

Patrick Neville, a survivor of the tragic 1999 Columbine High School massacre, is now a Republican state legislator pushing for teachers to have guns in Colorado schools.

Representative Neville’s proposed legislation introduced Tuesday would allow teachers to carry concealed weapons and use them to defend themselves and their students if confronted with gunfire.

He failed to pass the same bill last year, when he said he believes more people would have survived the attack by two students if teachers had guns when the fatal incident occurred on April 20, 1999.

"Our teachers and faculty were heroic in so many ways that day," Neville said. "That’s why I truly believe had some of them had the legal authority to be armed, more of my friends would still be alive today."

READ MORE: Guns for kids: Group for firearms control alarmed over NRA ads for minors

Neville, who was in the school on the day of the shooting, argues that the only way to stop such shootings is to "give good people the legal authority to carry a gun to protect themselves and our children".

As a former Columbine student, I am ready to offer real solutions to protect our children in schools. It is time to...

Posted by Patrick for Colorado on Friday, 6 February 2015

It is expected that the Democrat-controlled House will defeat the bill, which is what happened when Neville first introduced it last year.

A total of 15 people were killed during the shootings at Columbine in 1999 while 24 others were left injured.

For those who need a refresher course, check out Michael Moore’s Oscar-winning documentary "Bowling for Columbine".

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