Administrators armed in W. Colo. school district

DENVER (AP) — As lawmakers across the country debate arming teachers and administrators to prevent another deadly school shooting, one Colorado school district has voted to let its superintendent and a high school principal carry concealed semi-automatic pistols on campus — a move some say sidesteps laws meant to keep schools gun-free.

The seven-member school board in southwestern Colorado's rural Dolores County voted unanimously in February to allow Ty Gray, principal of Dove Creek High School, and Superintendent Bruce Hankins to double as security officers, who under state law are allowed to carry guns on elementary, middle and high school campuses.

Hankins and Gray — both lifelong hunters — will receive an additional $1 per year for the extra responsibility after completing a concealed-carry course and receiving permits from the county sheriff before they can carry a gun on school grounds.

"We won't live our lives in fear, but we realize the world we live in today and need to do everything in our power to keep kids safe," Hankins told The Cortez Journal after the vote.

"If somebody comes into the building making threats or shooting, I'm not going to hide behind my desk. I'd prefer to have more than a chair [as a weapon]."