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LINCOLN — By the time law enforcement can respond to a school shooting, it’s usually too late, said State Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings.

That’s especially true in rural communities, Halloran said, where a sheriff’s deputy or police officer might be miles away.

“The damage is done in two to three minutes, so if you don’t have someone there prepared to defend the school, law enforcement ends up putting toe tags on bodies and writing reports,” he said.

On Wednesday, Halloran introduced the latest effort to allow teachers and school staff to bear concealed handguns — and it attracted immediate pushback.

“Guns are the problem, not the solution,” said Melody Vaccaro of Lincoln, the vice president of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence.

Halloran’s Legislative Bill 343 would give school districts, colleges and universities the option of permitting school personnel, after passing a state concealed carry class, to carry a handgun on campus.