A math teacher apparently injured students after discharging a handgun during a classroom firearm safety course

Three students were injured when a math teacher fired a semiautomatic handgun at the ceiling of a classroom during a firearm safety course on Tuesday at Seaside High School in Monterey County, California, NBC News reports. "It's the craziest thing," said Fermin Gonzales, whose 17-year-old son was apparently bruised by a bullet fragment. "It could have been very bad."

The math teacher, Dennis Alexander, teaches an administration of justice course, which is where he fired the weapon. He is also a reserve police officer for the Sand City Police Department, although since the incident he has been placed on administrative leave by both the school and the police department. School district officials told local reporters that Alexander had not been authorized to carry a firearm on the school grounds.

The incident occurred a day before nationwide walkouts by students in protest of gun violence. President Trump has pushed for arming teachers as a solution to mass shootings: "History shows that a school shooting lasts, on average, 3 minutes," he tweeted last month. "It takes police & first responders approximately 5 to 8 minutes to get to site of crime. Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.