Houston Independent School District Designates over $2M in Rifles, Ammo for Classroom Defense

Houston Independent School District (HISD) approved over $2 million in funding for rifles, ballistic shields, ammunition, and communication devices for school resource officers throughout the district.

On August 15, 2022, Police1.com noted the money is earmarked for “200 rifles, 200 ballistic shields, rifle ammunition and two-way radios.”

The move came after HISD Police Chief Pedro Lopez indicated that “his department was not adequately equipped to respond to an active shooter situation.”

The vote to designate the money for the rifles, ammo, etc., passed by a vote of 6-3.

On August 11, 2022, ABC 13 quoted HISD superintendent Millard House II saying, “I mentioned last week we’re not increasing the number of guns that we have for a particular reason. The bigger issue here is assuring that (officers) have all of the tools possible so that they can be as safe as possible and provide the kind of safety that we want them to provide for our campuses.”

HISD has also changed campus perimeter fences and enhanced its campus video surveillance system.

On August 15, 2022, Breitbart News reported that Florida’s Indian County School District added an AR-15 to every school so students returning to class in the fall will have school resource officers who can access rifles in the event of an attack.

Last week, Breitbart News pointed out that Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced officers in county schools will carry long guns and will be prepared to “meet violence with violence” and win the day in case of a school attack.

Florida Today quoted Ivey saying, “You are not coming into my schools and killing our children.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.