Burrillville schools pass gun-free zone resolution

Measure backs GA effort to ban firearms at schools, ‘except by peace officers’ as defined in state law

BURRILLVILLE — The Burrillville School Committee recently approved a resolution that supports state legislation to designate schools as so-called “gun-free” zones.

The gun-free zone measure supports General Assembly efforts to ban firearms on school grounds, “except by peace officers” as defined in state law.

The Burrillville School

Committee joins more than

20 school committees and 10 city and town councils that have passed resolutions in support of

House Bill

H7591 and

Senate Bill

S2289, which would keep firearms off of school grounds, including concealed carry permit holders.

“The Burrillville School Committee respectfully requests that the Rhode Island General Assembly support any and all legislative proposals that would ban bringing firearms onto school grounds except by peace officers as defined by state law,” the Burrillville resolution says.

The bills pending before the General Assembly would ban “firearms or other weapons on school grounds, including any part of any building, stadium, or other structure on school grounds, or while riding school-provided transportation.”

The so-called Safe Schools Act would provide that only peace officers and persons approved by the school authorities for the purposes of educational instruction may carry firearms or other weapons on school grounds.

Rhode Island is one of four states that generally allow concealed carry permit holders to bring a firearm onto school grounds.

Burrillville Chief of Police Colonel Stephen J. Lynch, who was asked to attend the School Committee’s meeting on Tuesday, says that he supports the local resolution as long as it includes active police officers as defined within the statute and defined as peace officers while

“We have undertaken school safety initiatives here that many other communities do not do, and that includes not only our school resource officer in the schools, but having our regular first shift people visiting our schools on a regular basis. It’s part of their tour.” —Burrillville Chief of Police Colonel Stephen J. Lynch

on or off duty as well as retired law enforcement officers.

“I would support it with the only caveat that retired law enforcement members be members that earned 20 years of service with their department and have retired in good standing,” the chief told the committee.

According to Lynch, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association as an organization supports gun-free school zone legislation.

“I see the schools as basically sacred ground and I believe in the training that our police officers receive,” he said. “I believe in the accountability that they are held to with weapon retention.”

Lynch says he believes only trained police and peace officers should be armed in schools, due to the extreme risks inherent in hostage and high-stress “shoot/don’t shoot” situations. Police officers receive this training and are retested annually to reaffirm their proficiency, he said. Concealed carry permit holders, on the other hand, do not receive specialized training and are not subject to yearly retesting.

As for school safety in Burrillville, Lynch says the Police Department has taken on an even bigger role in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting last February.

“We have undertaken school safety initiatives here that many other communities do not do, and that includes not only our school resource officer in the schools, but having our regular first shift people visiting our schools on a regular basis. It’s part of their tour,” Lynch told the committee.

In addition, police officers are present daily for the opening and closing of all schools in town.

“That’s been taxing manpower-wise, but I believe its worth that tax,” he said.