AURORA | Could pepper spray be a good — and reasonable— alternative to guns in classrooms in an effort to fend off school shooters?
A campaign video in which Democratic 6th Congressional District candidate Levi Tillemann sprays himself in the face in an attempt to prove that has taken over social media in the past week. He says the mace would save lives.
But even advocates of training teachers to carry guns in classrooms say the mace isn’t an absolute replacement. Laura Carno, founder of FASTER Colorado, which provides training to school staff who carry guns, said pepper spray could be helpful in some instances, but the defense does have its drawbacks.
“My thought process is that I’m for all of the above,” she told the Sentinel. “If something can stop a bad thing from happening, let’s try it all.”
FASTER Colorado doesn’t arm teachers, but provides training from law enforcement officers for teachers and other school staff members that are already authorized to carry a gun. Pepper spray was recently a topic of discussion in the training, Carno said.
“The problem with Tillemann saying that’s the end-all-be-all — (that) it would replace firearms — it might only have some specific applications,” she said. “You’ve got to be in close contact. If you’re a teacher at your desk and the person walks in the door, that’s just too far for pepper spray.”
Tillemann, who is facing fellow Democrat Jason Crow in the primary, said in the video pepper spray would save lives, adding that the defense is pretty accurate in comparison to guns.
On YouTube he wrote, “…it’s easier to hit a target with a pepper spray stream than a bullet. Over 70 percent of the time, police do not hit their intended target when shooting at a distance of less than 10 ft. (Pepper spray has an effective range of up to 30 feet.)”
Carno said the same question should Tillemann raises should be asked of police officers. Would they give up a gun for a pepper spray?
Tillemann’s primary opponent told CBS4 that the video — which Crow called a stunt — minimizes the seriousness of school violence.
The winner of the June 26 primary will then face incumbent Congressman Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, in November.
— KARA MASON, Staff Writer
