What they said: Should teachers be allowed to carry guns in school?

• Tim Gillespie, president of the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association: “The thing about it is with these school shootings, they're already gun-free zones. It's not stopping the criminals from bringing the guns in. No law will. ... Right now we're sending our kids to our schools and making them fish in a barrel. There's no defense for them.”

• Ed Allen, president of the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers: “It's just a recipe for disaster to have guns in school.”

• Tulsa Superintendent Keith Ballard: “Schools need strong building leadership and effective teachers who can form relationships with students and parents. By familiarizing themselves with the people in their buildings, principals and teachers will be in a better position to spot trouble signs before they occur.”

• Alicia Priest, vice president of Oklahoma Education Association: “Teachers did not go into the profession to be teachers in order to carry a gun. That is a training issue and a mentality that is left to police officers and trained school resource officers. What we would like is resources to hire and train our counselors and administrators and teachers on dealing with mental health issues.”

• Ginger Tinney, executive director Professional Oklahoma Educators: “Whatever it would take to protect our children, we need to do that, but there has to be precautions to protect children from those weapons.”

Carrie Coppernoll, Staff Writer