SPEAK OUT: Should Teachers Be Armed?

Gov. Bob McDonnell said on Tuesday that it may be time to explore the idea of arming teachers and other school officials.

The Republican governor made his remarks in an interview Tuesday on WTOP. His remarks came during a discussion of the killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., on Friday.

The governor was asked: "What about the idea of allowing people — adults, supervisors, principals, teachers — to be armed inside the public schools of Virginia?"

"I know there's been a knee-jerk reaction against that," McDonnell said. "I think there should at least be a discussion about it."

"If people were armed, not just a police officer but other officials who were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would have been an opportunity to stop aggressors from coming into a school."

"So I think that's a reasonable discussion that ought to be had," he said. "The key is don't overreact — really get to the bottom of what works and what can make a difference."

"If a person like that [principal in Connecticut] was armed and trained, could they have stopped the carnage in the classroom? Perhaps."

Do you agree with the governor? Tell us in the comments.