Would arming teachers keep our schools safer?

How far are you willing to go to improve school safety?  There is a push to arm teachers in the classroom. Advocates say it’s similar to the way pilots and air marshals have weapons on board a plane.

But it is also creating a tremendous backlash.

Since the Newtown shootings gun owners have been getting a bad rap says Earl Curtis, owner of the Blue Ridge Gun Store in Chantilly, Virginia.

"When the gun ban happened that didn't curb crime either. So like I said whether you cut it down to 5, one, it still does the same damage, which is bad. What we need to be doing is teaching gun safety and education; also take care of mental health issues."

The new calls in Washington for gun control measures are having an impact he says.

"One of things we're seeing is a run on some gun supplies. This rack here used to be filled with magazines like this. But because of concerns of new gun control laws...you can see, they're all gone," he said.

Gun rights supports say the answer isn’t making it harder to get weapons, but beefing up school security.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell told WTOP that arming teachers is an option that should at least be considered.

"I know there has been a knee jerk reaction against that. I think there should at least be a discussion of that. If people were armed, not just the police officer but other school officials that were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would have been an opportunity to stop aggressors coming into the schools."

Tennessee State Senator Frank Nicely wants more armed police officers in schools, and if that isn’t an option, he says to arm the teachers.

One Texas town is allowing teachers to carry guns. Read more here .

Talk of putting more guns in schools has been roundly criticized, especially from the Brady Campaign for Gun Violence, which says it’s insane and lead to more violent acts.

School security expert Greg Crane says there is a high risk bystanders could be hurt.

"Do I want 15 or 20 people throwing rounds in a very dynamic, very friendly occupied environment.  That's a whole other situation that has to be addressed. i don't think it's necessarily the best solution," he said. 

Source: Lisa Sylvester, CNN.