Oklahoma School District Sign: Staff May Be Armed, ‘May Use Whatever Force Necessary to Protect Students’

Signs near schools in Okay, Oklahoma, put would-be attackers on notice that staff members may be armed and are ready to “use whatever force necessary” to protect students.

The signs are visible around public schools in the district.

According to Fox News, Okay Superintendent Charles McMahan noted that the town’s police force was dissolved in 2014, and the district had to make a decision. McMahan said, “We don’t want to be a soft target.”

One of the signs says, “ATTENTION: Please be aware that certain staff members at Okay Public Schools can be legally armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

Okay High School’s principal, Mark Hayes, supports the carry policy. He told the Muskogee Phoenix, “These are our kids,” adding, “We want to keep [them] safe.”

School employees who want to arm themselves have to qualify by getting “a Council on Law Enforcement Education Training certification or license; possess an Oklahoma Self Defense Act License; and be CLEET qualified with the firearm.” Thereafter, they have to appear before the Okay Public Schools Board for approval before being allowed to carry a firearm on campus.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.