Southeastern U trains staff in concealed carry

LAKELAND (FOX 13) - Faculty and staff at Southwestern University are You probably wont know who they are. It won't be obvious. They could be anywhere on campus, anytime.

But they could become instant heroes if an active shooter shows up.

Southeastern University is presumably the first school to offer to train its staffers to carry a concealed weapon.

"It just makes sense, if you have the power and the capability to protect, we feel that you should," commented Dr. Chris Owen. Owen is  the Vice President of Student Development and one of the first employees to take the training given by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

A dozen employees signed up for the course. Three have dropped out.

Owen has been a hunter and recreational shooter since he was a little kid.

But Polk Sheriff Grady Judd says his expert marks men will even train someone who has never picked a gun in his life.:"We'll teach them not only how to handle a firearm but to be proficient," Judd told FOX 13.
The course is 132 hours which Judd says is more firearms training that deputies receive. Along with shooting, the training will include legal issues, ethics and more.

The first class will graduate in May, There is already a waiting list for the next one.

"We pray that it never happens," Owen said. " We don't want it to happen, but if it does, we want to be fully prepared to respond accordingly."