South Carolina Rep Steven Long Announces Draw Where Teachers Win Free Guns

Rep. Steven Long (R-SC) is not waiting for the debate on President Donald Trump’s call on arming teachers for the better protection of students — after the Florida school massacre — to conclude. On Monday, he announced he will be holding a raffle where free handguns will be given away to educators in South Carolina.

Apart from handing out three 9mm handguns, Long also arranged for the winning teachers to receive a free class on how to properly use the weapons and earn their Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP).

Long announced the news of the raffle on his official website, as well as social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

According to a press release on his website, Long believes arming the teachers of his state will send out the message that “children are our top priority and we will protect them.” He added it could also make mass shooters — whom he referred to as "mentally defective cowards” and “deranged psychotic degenerates” — stay away from school premises.

“We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of children in schools, both K-12 and our higher education institutions. Allowing teachers or school staff members to carry is the most efficient and most effective way to do this,” Long said.

However, participating in the raffle will be entirely voluntary and no teacher will be forced to take part in it. “We aren’t forcing teachers who don’t feel comfortable with a gun to carry,” he said. “Not every teacher will want to carry or needs to carry, but for those who are willing and able, we need to allow them this protection. I’m open to a discussion regarding the specifics of a program that allows teachers to carry, but it is undeniable that we must take action on this issue.”

The venue of the event has not been announced yet. The press release did mention that an organization adept in dealing with the transfer of weapons will be assisting in the contest. It will also be responsible for delivering the guns to the winners after a thorough vetting process, Fox News reported.

In order to raise money to pay for the three handguns to be given away at the raffle, Long launched a fundraiser, open to the public.

After facing backlash over his proposed solution to school shootings, Trump defended his stance last week. The president said he was in favor of a few chosen teachers with “military or special training experience” to be armed with guns. During a White House Press conference, he floated the idea of handing out bonuses to teachers who take up the responsibility of carrying guns on them during school hours.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivors vehemently opposed the idea of teachers being armed with guns. Instead, they demanded stricter gun laws that make it difficult for individuals to get their hands on military-styled weapons.

"This is not what we stand for,” Parkland student Alfonso Calderon said during an appearance on CNN. “We stand for small policy changes and maybe possibly big ones in the future. Because, right now, I’m pretty sick of having to talk about teachers being armed. Because that is not even a possibility in my mind.”

According to the Huffington Post, five bills — that allow teachers to carry guns — are currently being considered in the South Carolina House.