COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A Colorado school board voted Wednesday to allow school staff and faculty to carry concealed handguns to protect students, if they obtain special training.

The resolution, approved by the Hanover School District board of education in a 3-2 vote, came on the fourth anniversary of a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut that claimed the lives of 20 students and six employees.

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It tasks the district with developing policies to allow staff who volunteer to carry concealed handguns on campus after obtaining a concealed weapons permit and additional training. Those who participate in the program will remain anonymous, and will be designated as security guards to comply with Colorado laws on guns at schools, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

Board member Michael Lawson, a volunteer firefighter and National Rifle Association firearms instructor, proposed the idea of arming staff this summer, and the board has been mulling the proposal since. Lawson told the Gazette before the board vote that he’s concerned about the 20-30 minute response time for law enforcement to reach Hanover schools, as well as the influence of marijuana grow operations sprouting up in the school district.

The district operates two schools with about 270 students roughly 30 miles southeast of Colorado Springs, and currently shares one school resource officer – an El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy – with four other school districts, The Associated Press reports.

“I don’t care if any of the staff ever pick up a gun,” Lawson told the Gazette. “The fact that you have a ‘no guns’ sign at your front door is an invitation. If this resolution passes, we can put up a sign, ‘Some staff at this school may be armed.’ To me, that’s a deterrent.”

“This is a good place to learn and grow up,” said Lawson, whose children graduated from area schools. “Doing this would deter most criminals. You’re not going to get all of them, but if we can turn around most of them, it’s a victory.”

Board president Mark McPherson voted against the measure on Wednesday.

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“Safety is our number one priority,” he said. “Our rooms are supposed to be locked and secure, we have cameras, we have a very vigilant staff. We are authorizing teachers to pull a weapon and kill a human being, and I cannot support that.”

Seventh grade student Jiogianna McMurtry said district officials surveyed students, parents and staff about the proposal, and she voted against it.

“Some teachers I’m OK with; other teachers I’m not really sure they should have guns,” McMurtry said. “Some teachers have anger issues.”

The AP notes that numerous schools across the U.S. have authorized staff to carry concealed weapons since the Sandy Hook shooting, including others in Colorado.

At the Fleming School District, superintendent Steve McCracken said officials approved the move out of concerns about police response times. District employees who volunteer to carry concealed weapons on campus in that district must undergo 46 hours of initial training, including live fire training, as well as a psychological evaluation. Those packing heat must also participate in yearly training sessions to keep their skills sharp.