Brevard County school resource deputies will carry rifles in county schools in an effort to make them safer, according to the sheriff’s department.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey announced his office would partner with other law enforcement agencies during a four-minute long Facebook video posted Monday,
Ivey said he “wanted to reassure our parents, our teachers and our students that our schools are among the safest in the country.”
The caption under the post contains a Sun Tzu quote that “every battle is won or lost before it’s ever fought.” Additionally, it states “while I pray it never happens, I can assure you that our Brevard County Sheriff’s Office School Resource deputies are prepared to win the battle to protect our children and teachers!!”
Previously, Ivey said resource officers had to go to their vehicles to retrieve higher-powered rifles, but now it will be part of the standard uniform with a more “tactical” appearance when on duty at the schools.
“Folks let me be very clear. You are not coming into my schools and killing our children,” Ivey said. “I firmly believe that if you do not meet violence with violence, you will be violently killed. My goal is to avoid ever having to face a threat on one of our campuses by being better prepared, better armed and better trained than anyone else, and especially someone thinking about harming our children or our teachers.”
The video is posted below.
Everyone, however, is not in favor of the new directive.
The President of Families for Safe Schools Jabari Hosey, who also has three kids attending school in Brevard County, said gun laws, not guns, make schools safer, according to a report from WKMG.
“I hope we don’t get to the point where we need to militarize our schools where they’re like military bases,” Hosey told the news station.
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