There are many laws that need to be changed in the state of Michigan.

We can’t think of one that needs it more than the law that allows licensed adults to openly carry pistols in schools.

That’s right.

You can holster your gun on your hip and walk into any public school in this great state without breaking any law, just as long as you have a valid concealed pistol license. It is worth pointing out that the gun can’t be concealed — it must be out in the open.

It’s a common-sense-defying law that is forcing area school officials to come up with protocols in case a licensed adult decides they can’t enter a place of education without packing heat.

We aren’t saying that guns are bad.

And we aren’t saying people shouldn’t have guns.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects a person’s right to bear arms, and we aren’t saying that needs to change.

What we are saying is that guns have no place in school unless a law enforcement agent carries them.

The mere sight of someone other than a police officer carrying a gun in public is enough to cause fear and anxiety in most grown men and women — let alone in young kids — in a school setting.

If you are wondering why we are bringing this up now, the issue of guns in schools was recently thrust into the spotlight in March when a parent carried a gun into a school in Ann Arbor.

There are other reports of gun rights activists testing the law in other parts of the state, claiming they are exercising their rights.

They might think that’s what they are doing, but in reality they are disrupting the educational process.

I think we all can agree that we want our kids to be as safe as possible when we drop them off at school.

Keeping guns out of schools is a step in that direction.

It is not a Second Amendment issue. It’s a safety issue.

And it’s time that legislation is introduced to make that happen.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.