NC sheriff’s office puts AR-15s in schools in case of emergencies

MADISON COUNTY, N.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - A North Carolina sheriff plans to equip school resource officers with AR-15 rifles as a safety measure.

Madison County Sheriff Buddy Harwood announced the plan to help improve security for Madison County Schools during a press conference in June, WHNS reports.

Harwood argued that we’ve seen that a deputy armed with a handgun is not always enough to stop certain situations. Because of this, he said he decided to arm every school resource officer with an AR-15 rifle with optics and accessories.

According to Harwood, all the rifles and accessories were bought using money donated by residents in Madison County.

Haywood explained that every officer will attend hours of extra tactical training with these rifles to ensure they are ready to use them. He added that each rifle will also be kept in a gun safe in an undisclosed location at each school.

Harwood said he is working with Madison County School Superintendent Dr. Weil Hoffman and the Board of Education to implement this new safety measure.

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