NEW ORLEANS — Permitless carry is now legal across the state and here in New Orleans. Parents and educators are asking what does this mean for our young people? With school back in session, some members of the community are asking if students will learn about gun safety and the new law in the classroom.
Young minds are the most vulnerable.
Jamar McKneely, CEO of InspireNOLA Charter schools, said the school system talks to students about gun safety.
McKneely said, "The new law that just went into effect, we're very concerned about how it's going to affect our students and our community."
He went on to say, "We understand that guns have affected a lot of our youth, but we want to make sure the kids we serve every day are protected."
Ashana Bigard, with Amplify Justice and an education advocate, is calling on the state board of education to draft classes to teach gun safety. She said, "The conversation needs to be what are guns for. I think if we start having those conversations from an early age, we can ingrain that guns are not a tool of conflict resolution."
She said students need to understand that violence isn't the answer, saying, "Too often children think of guns as a tool of conflict resolution and if we're going to have conflict resolution."
"It should be around conversations of restorative justice, how do we talk, how do we get people to mediate, even when they're hostile, how do we control ourselves," she said.
McKneely said education extends outside the classroom. He said that since the new law went into effect, the charter system has included conflict resolution as a topic of classroom discussion.
He said, "Our students are citizens of this community. They're engaged in a lot of different activities. We want to make sure they are informed. We don't want them to encounter this new law by their friends, and we don't want them to be in any situation that can affect them," McKneely said.
Mother to four, Allison Assaf, said she wants her kids to learn about the dangers of guns. She told WWL Louisiana, "I want my children to feel psychologically safe, that if they see a dangerous weapon, or they see something, they feel empowered enough to say something."
However, she said she'd prefer that information come from experts, like law enforcement.
"I would like it if the school system could have law enforcement since they are the subject matter experts... They should come and speak to the children at school," Assaf said.
McKneely said sadly, students have lost friends, and teachers have lost students to guns. He said the goal is to ensure students understand the law, so they have the tools to make smart decisions.
We reached out to the state board of education. They sent us a link to a letter they sent last year, saying there's a disagreement between the U.S. Department of Education and the State Department of Education using federal funds for things like gun safety programs, archery and more.
The letter says the state superintendent is advocating for these programs to continue.
InspireNOLA is set to host their annual "Nola Love" rally next month, an event aimed at empowering students to be the city's next advocates.
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