Update: This article was updated with Clio Area Schools' response to a lawsuit.

When it comes to owning and carrying guns, emotions run high on both sides of the debate. When it comes to carrying guns in schools, emotions run even higher.

And so it was that a series of incidents involving guns in schools brought feelings to a fever pitch last month in Michigan.

On March 3, a Macomb County assistant prosecutor left a handgun in a jacket in a Macomb Township elementary school.

The next day, a man carried a rifle and got into a confrontation with police near Lamphere High School in Madison Heights.

The day after that, a man carried a gun into an Ann Arbor school during a concert, alarming several people in the audience In the following weeks, six students were arrested for taking guns into schools in Kalamazoo and the Flint area.

A total of five Michigan school districts dealt with guns in schools or on school property last month.

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The incidents have prompted passionate calls from some who say guns have no place in schools and equally passionate arguments from those who say that allowing licensed gun owners to carry weapons actually helps keep schools safe.

Both sides want change. On one side are those who want to ban all weapons from schools. On the other side are those who would like to see change in a Michigan law that requires holders of concealed pistol licenses to carry their weapons in the open when they bring them to school.

But after all the concern and debate and bills introduced in the Legislature, people on both sides admit that real change is unlikely.

How we got here

Those who oppose guns in school say guns are disruptive to the school environment. Gun advocates say its school administrators who cause the disruption with lockdowns and calling the police.

The issue of guns in schools is not new, and neither are the arguments. In the end, both groups say it's about one thing: safety.

State law makes it a 93-day misdemeanor to possess a weapon at schools, which are designated as weapon-free zones. However, the law does not apply to security personnel hired by the district, peace officers, those with permission from the school's administration or people with a concealed pistol license.

Another law prohibits CPL holders from carrying concealed weapons in schools. But they are allowed to carry guns openly.

That's why Joshua Wade was carrying his gun in the open when he went to a choir concert at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor March 5. His action set off a firestorm of controversy when a choir director confronted him about the weapon and another man stood at the back of the concert venue at the end of the performance to announce to everyone there that Wade had attended with a weapon.

That's also why a Michigan Open Carry member is suing Clio Area Schools, claiming in a lawsuit filed March 5 that school officials prevented him from carrying a gun into the school while trying to pick up his daughter.

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In Ann Arbor, Wade's action brought out people on both sides of the issue. About 200 people attended an Ann Arbor school board meeting on March 11, and two dozen people spoke out against guns in schools. Another 12 people, however, supported their right to carry in schools.

"School should be a place for teaching and learning, not firearms and fear," said John Turner, an Ann Arbor resident.

Michigan Open Carry member David Dellinger of Novi said people who carry guns want to protect their families and don't want to hurt anyone.

Ann Arbor school officials started developing policy to keep weapons out of schools, which Wade opposes.

"We do not want guns in our schools," said Deb Mexicotte, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education president on March 11. She stated guns are disruptive to the learning environment.

Wade, however, argues the guns are not what's causing the disruption.

"The political agenda promoted by certain members of our community, faculty, staff, and Board members and their proposed policies, have already and will continue to create such disruptions," Wade wrote in a letter to Ann Arbor Police Chief John Seto.

While parents and educators are sensitive to weapons in school buildings -- they say it's hard to to tell on first glance if a gun carrier means no harm -- gun advocates argue schools are safer if trained gun owners are around.

Recent crime statistics show CPL holders with a lower rate of crime than that of the average population in Michigan.

There were 1,465 crimes in which CPL holders were convicted or found responsible from July 2012 through June 2013. With approximately 352,000 CPL holders in the state, that's a crime rate of 0.42 percent for that period.

In the 2013 calendar year, there were 419,595 charges for crimes in Michigan. In a population of 9.98 million, 22.7 percent of which is under 18, that's a 4.2 percent crime rate.

Trying to change the law

State legislators on both sides of the issue are tackling it by developing new bills, reintroducing bills and offering amendments to legislation.

On one side, gun advocates are attempting to allow concealed guns in schools.

State Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, is drafting a bill that would allow CPL holders with additional training to carry concealed guns in schools and prohibit open carry in schools.

"We'll sit down and talk about it see if we can come up with something that everyone can agree with," Green said. "If we don't get some kind of buy-in by superintendents and school boards, I'm going to say it's going to be difficult to make anything happen. The guys that are carrying guns are happy with the way things are now."

Green said it's going to take effort by superintendents and schools to ask for change, and then effort by state lawmakers to get Michigan residents to accept the changes.

Green also doesn't know where Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder stands on the issue.

Snyder has signed bills into law that loosened gun regulation in Michigan, such as getting rid of county gun boards, but also vetoed Green's earlier legislation that would allow concealed carry in schools.

David Murray, a spokesman for the governor, said Snyder does not comment on pending legislation.

"In general. Gov. Snyder opposes open carry in schools. He generally supports allowing concealed weapons, but only if the district has had the opportunity to set its own policies and would be allowed to opt out of such laws," Murray said.

Green said he'd like to see changes to the state law, but only if the schools are involved in the conversation.

"It's not a battle I want to take if I'm going to lose anyway," he said.

On the other side, Democrats are seeking a means to close what they call the open-carry loophole and ban guns from schools altogether, excluding weapons law enforcement officers carry.

State Rep. Adam Zemke, D-Ann Arbor, in March offered an amendment to Senate Bill 0053 that would prohibit CPL holders from carrying guns in schools, but the House gaveled it down.

State Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, sponsored the bill, which would allow retired federal law enforcement officers to carry a concealed weapon in weapons-free zones such as schools.

"It's very frustrating," Zemke said. "We have not made any more progress."

He said Democrats are running into opposition from Republicans, who are the majority party in both the House and Senate.

"When they don't want something done, it may not get done," he said.

For the second time in two years, Rep. Andy Schor, D-Lansing, introduced a bill in January that would ban CPL holders from open carrying at schools and make schools true gun-free zones.

"Things will change when those who control the agenda decide to actually take up the legislation," he said. "Until then, the NRA has significant power in Lansing. And they don't want this bill being taken up."

Schor said he's heard from school administrators, teachers, police officers and community college officials who want to keep guns out of schools.

On the other side of the issue is The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, which would like to see the end of pistol-free zones in the state, said Steve Dulan, an attorney for the organization.

A "no guns" sign doesn't make anyone more safe, he said.

Dulan said the majority of multiple-victim killings occur in public places with similar signs, and responsible gun-owners have prevented tragedies in the past.

"The parent who comes into a school with a gun is not a threat to anyone," he said.

Dulan said he wouldn't openly carry if the law allowed him to carry his weapon concealed everywhere in the state.

"Personally, I don't choose to open carry because we know there are people who don't understand," he said. "There's going to be inconvenience."

On the other hand, education leaders are planning to take a stand against guns in schools.

Chris Wigent, executive director of Michigan Association of School Administrators, said members of the organization do not believe there is any place for weapons in schools.

"We will be very vocal and very active with any legislation about weapons in schools," he said. "Local boards should have righto decide what's best for schools."

Legal action

One place where change could come is from the courts, said one state official.

If the legislature doesn't do anything, State Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, believes there's going to be some churn with respect to government policy in the courts.

School districts such as Ann Arbor and Clio have approached the issue by seeking to create weapons-free zones and asking people with guns to leave the grounds. But state law prohibits local governments -- including schools -- from enacting firearm policies.

Clio is already facing a lawsuit, and Ann Arbor school officials have acknowledged the possibility that someone could sue the district if it enacts a policy banning guns.

The Board of Education on Wednesday, April 15, is scheduled to vote on a policy that essentially does just that. School officials would ask gun carriers to leave the building or property and call the police on the grounds that guns are disruptive to the learning environment.

Clio Area Schools' attorney says the district is within its rights to ban guns from district buildings, in response to the lawsuit.

"It seems like the solution to the problem is fairly straightforward," Irwin said. "We go back to policy where we say, 'no guns in schools.' You still have the Second Amendment to carry it. You can still defend yourself. But you can't carry guns in schools."

Dulan doesn't believe the debate will ever go away.

"The arguments stay the same at both sides," he said.

Schor said school officials are limited in what they can do. They can ask a person to leave but cannot force him or her to do so.

"If a school district tries to prohibit guns in schools, my assumption is the open carry people will take them to court and win," he said.

Lindsay Knake is the K-12 education reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Follow her on twitter or contact her at 989-372-2498 or lknake@mlive.com. Find all Washtenaw County K-12 education stories on MLive.com.