NCSL - National Conference of State Legislatures
12/26/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/26/2025 12:10
School Safety: Guns in Schools
Related Topic: Education
Firearms remain at the center of the school safety debate as gun control and the prospect of arming school personnel garner national attention. Although it is only a small fraction of the school safety discussion, states continue to examine K-12 firearms statutes. The vast majority of states generally prohibit firearms in K-12 schools; however, almost all make some exception to their laws. The table below captures state statutes allowing and prohibiting firearms on K-12 grounds.
Guns in Schools
Which States Allow Firearms on K-12 School Grounds?
| Policy | States |
|
Anyone with permission from school authority |
Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York (if the carrier is not primarily employed by the school in a non-security position), Nevada, Ohio (if the carrier has successfully completed certain training and the public is notified), Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont |
|
Concealed carry license holders |
CC permit alone: Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming CC permit and permission from school authority: Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota (if the individual is at least 21 years of age and holds an enhanced permit) |
|
School employees (other than security) |
During the normal course of their employment: Louisiana Permission from school authority and ability to carry legally in the state: Kansas CC permit and permission from school authority: Idaho, Permit, permission from school authority, and required training: Florida, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee (only in distressed rural counties or if the employee is a former law enforcement official), Texas, Wyoming (training can be waived for employees of isolated rural districts) |
|
School security |
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia |
|
Only students prohibited |
|
|
Law enforcement |
46 States: Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin |
NCSL - National Conference of State Legislatures published this content on December 26, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 26, 2025 at 18:10 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]