On Wednesday, we published an article on state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-10th, introducing a bill that would allow school employees to carry firearms in schools to help protect students and staff.

The bill would allow employees who possess a valid Pennsylvania concealed carry permit to be armed while on school property, a list not limited to teachers.

We aren’t here to debate for or against gun control, but we are here for the idea of potentially more protection for our children. Much like gun laws, this is not a simple, black-and-white issue. Nothing in this world ever is.

Many school security officers in Butler County are retired from the state police, meaning they have had an entire career of firearm training, usage and knowledge behind their ability to carry on school property. While the proposed legislation would require other school employees who wish to carry on school property to undertake rigorous training courses, we can’t simply let it end there and ride off into the sunset.

While strong training is a good start, allowing any school employee to carry a firearm on campus also needs other aspects of security working in tandem. Mandatory psychological evaluations are a must, and should be repeated on a regular basis to assure that those who carry guns around our children remain of sound mind. The same goes for the training itself.

Before a bill like this is passed, teams of psychologists and other experts should be consulted and extremely detailed research has to be conducted.

These are our children. All avenues need to be explored. Any dereliction of duty where firearms are concerned could prove to be a fatal, double-edged sword.

We commend efforts to protect our schools. Firearms are dangerous in the wrong hands, and, as long as lawmakers and school administrators remain ever-vigilant and overly cautious, a bill such as this has the potential to yield rewarding results.

When it comes to this, there is absolutely no room for error.

—CM