Galt teachers may soon be trained to use and recognize different types of guns in a class sponsored by the Galt Police Department.

The voluntary gun safety and awareness course is in response to December's deadly Newtown, Conn., school shooting, according to Superintendent Karen Schauer of the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District.

The idea came from Galt Police Chief William Bowen, she said.

Since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a question has been asked over and over: Would schools be safer and better prepared to defend against a live shooter if armed guards were assigned to monitor each campus?

The shooting deaths of 20 children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012, has prompted suggestions that armed guards be posted in schools.

Two area congressmen say the federal government should look at restricting the availability of assault weapons in the aftermath of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.

As students returned to classrooms on Monday, local schools planned to answer questions from students and discuss safety plans following the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 children and six adults dead.

Oak View Union School District in Acampo

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 children and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., before committing suicide. It was the second-deadliest school shooting in United States history and has renewed the debate over gun-control laws.

Pastor Larry Bradford had a Christmas message ready for Sunday’s service at Woodbridge Community Church, but once he heard about the mass killings in Newtown, Conn., he decided to ditch his original sermon.

Local school districts are still deciding the best way to address the news of the shooting deaths at a Newtown, Conn., school on Friday morning and what impact it may have on Lodi and Galt schools. Galt Joint Union Elementary School District Superintendent Karen Schauer sent out a telephone message to her students and their families.