Photo by Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini

Guns in schools are a bad idea, as studies have shown that an increase in guns inevitably leads to an increase in people getting shot.  But, at least some people are making sure that teachers choosing to carry weapons are receiving proper training.

School personnel in the South Point school district in southern Ohio are flocking to a gun training program that would potentially allow them to carry firearms in their classrooms.  Instructor Alan Wheeler claims to have trained 250 teachers so far.

The course teaches gun knowledge and marksmanship.  Wheeler also offers advanced training for those who pass the initial course.  However, even after completing the training, teachers must apply for a permit before they can take their guns to school.

This focus on how to use a gun is reassuring, even if the prospect of 250 guns in Ohio schools is terrifying.  In fact, similar courses should be required of all gun owners, whether they want to take their guns to work or not.

Even so, I find myself agreeing more with Italian photographer Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini, who took the photo that heads this post, and who was on hand to document the teachers in the training course.

As CNN reports:

[Piccolomini] said he’s fascinated by guns, but “no way” he’d carry a gun while working.

“It’s not what I’m there for,” he said, and it would be even more dangerous for him to have a gun because he could be viewed as a threat. He’s not trained and he said it wouldn’t make a difference if he were cornered by a fighter.

Still, the photos are nice, even if the teachers seem to be enjoying holding those guns a little too much for my liking.  The full slideshow and accompanying story can be seen here.