美国各学区聘请配枪警卫

We are back now with the issue of guns in America following the Newtown tragedy, specifically protecting schools with armed guards. Yesterday, the executive vice president of NRA called for just that in every school in America, it's a highly controversial idea but the NBC's Charles Hadlock reports some schools are already going a big step further.

In schools districts across the country, teachers, administrators and politicians are debating ways to keep classrooms safer.

A police officer now walks the halls in an elementary school in Butler, Pennsylvania.

One of a growing list of school districts -- including Marlboro, N.J. and Orange County, Florida. -- now hiring armed guards after the deadly Newtown shootings.

"We have armed officers in all 14 schools in the Butler Area School District and we plan to have that on a daily basis from now on."

But soon, it may be more than just armed guards patrolling the the nation's public schools.

Lawmakers in at least 10 states have said they'll consider laws allowing teachers and administrators to carry firearms.

In tiny Harrold, Texas -- where the nearest sheriff's deputy is 30 minutes away -- teachers and administrators sometimes felt unsafe.

In Harrold, all 100 students -- from kindergarten to 12th grade -- attend school in one building. In a school this small and remote, a security guard would be too costly. So here, the teachers are the first responders.

They're allowed, even encouraged to carry concealed handguns after they've obtained licenses and extensive training.

"We're not teaching violence, we're protecting kids." Superintendent David Thweatt says he believes the program, now in its fifth year, will prevent the unthinkable."I want to be able to call my parent and say a bad guy came into our school. Your child is coming home safe and sound. The bad guy is leaving in a body bag."

Strong words that worry some teachers' groups.

"I just think we're setting up a scenario where more people are going to get hurt and the wrong people will get hurt in these cases and I think it's bad policy."

And in Michigan this week, the governor vetoed a bill that would have allowed teachers to carry guns.

"Ah, it's impractical and ineffective. Ah there was an armed guard at Columbine that didn't help. Typically, typically these episodes, these tragedies are concluded in matter of seconds or minutes," Still, the idea may be catching on. In Oregon, one gun shop is offering teachers free handgun lessons.

Back in Harrold, Superintendent Thweatt won't say which teachers or how many may have guns -- part of the secret, he says, to keep students safe.