South Dakota became the first state in the country to allow school teachers to carry guns on the job. Governor Dennis Daugaard signed the law.
The law permits 152 schools in the state to decide whether they want their teachers, other employees and the security guards to be armed, reported Reuters. The law will go into effect July 1.
The move comes after the killing of 26 students in December at a Connecticut school.
According to the legislation the school board can arm people, "to secure or enhance the deterrence of physical threat and defense of the school, its students, its staff, and members of the public on the school premises against violent attack."
The school sentinels will need an approval from the law enforcement officials for their program. The New York Times reported that Representative Scott Craig, a freshman Republican in South Dakota, said he hoped the measure would shift the country's discourse in school safety.
"Given the national attention to safety in schools, specifically in response to tragedies like in Connecticut, this is huge," Craig said, "dominoes will start to fall, people will see it's reasonable, it's safer than they think, it's proactive and it's preventive."
"I think it does provide the same safety precautions that a citizen expects when a law enforcement officer enters onto premises," Governor told The Times.
