Powell education leaders are not fans of legislation moving through the Wyoming Legislature that would allow concealed-carry guns on their campuses as well as in some public meetings.

City leaders declined to comment on the proposed law, Wyoming House Bill 114.

There’s a time and place for guns, but that’s not in schools, said Kevin Mitchell, superintendent of Park County School District No. 1.

“I know it’s an emotional issue, but there’s a lot of data out there that I’m not sure supports where this bill is heading,” he said Wednesday.

Data on school shootings shows that often, the incidents only last for a few minutes and end with the shooter killing himself, Mitchell said.

“If it’s a minute and a half, who knows where the person is that has the gun in the building,” he said.

“To me, there doesn’t appear to be a lot of factual data that says a random weapon in a school building is going to be effective — whether it’s an employee or someone else,” he continued.

If the measure passes, school staff won’t know when someone carries a gun in a school. Right now, all visitors are required to check in at the front office of Powell schools. The state is providing training for front-office staff to help them identify visitors who may be agitated or pose a threat, Mitchell said.

He questioned the need for such security measures if “anyone can come in with a gun.”

Mitchell is a gun owner, a life member of the National Rifle Association and used to work in law enforcement. A school resource officer, employed by the Powell Police Department, carries a gun in the Powell school district.

Mitchell is concerned about the possibility of accidental shootings if guns are in school.

“There’s just too much potential for danger that we really don’t have to worry about right now,” he said.

If legislation allows school districts to choose whether to allow guns, and Powell doesn’t do it, local kids could still be on campuses with guns when they travel for sports and activities.

“It’s not just Powell we’re worried about — it’s other communities that our children go into,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he plans to watch the bill closely in the Legislature, and will be in Cheyenne next week.

Northwest College President Stefani Hicswa, who was in Cheyenne Wednesday and testified on the bill, said she opposes it.

Hicswa cited a letter to the House Education Committee from Ed Mosher, president of the Wyoming Association of Community College Trustees, which also opposes the measure.

That letter states, “... our students’ educational goals cannot be achieved if our students are not, or do not feel, safe on our campuses.”

Mosher said the association opposes HB114 for two primary reasons: “The bill would strip the colleges of the information necessary to manage the security of the campus environment, and it removes from locally elected officials the local control necessary to make safety decisions that are in the best interests of their campus communities.”

Hicswa said, “I really think that any kind of cookie-cutter legislation ... we need to look at it closely to make sure there is local control and that it fits our community.”

Powell City Administrator Zane Logan said he has been following the bill but deferred comment, since it is “largely a political decision.”

Mayor Don Hillman declined to comment.