The National Rifle Association announced Monday that it has awarded over $600,000 in grants to support school security projects in 23 states, organized under the organization’s School Shield program.

Only one organization involved in the national school safety conversation funds a nationwide effort to keep our school children safe. That’s the National Rifle Association, through its NRA School Shield program, provided free of charge to any community interested in making its schools more secure.

Eric Kaiser, Chief of Police for the Jourdanton (Texas) Police Department, was the first police chief in the state of Texas to sponsor an NRA School Shield training event, and saw first-hand how the NRA School Shield program can help reduce the likelihood that a criminal can carry out a violent crime on the premises that hold our nation’s most valuable asset: our children.

Six schools in Carter County, Tennessee, have been awarded a grand total of $35,795 through the National Rifle Association School Shield Grant program. Many of the schools put in requests for upgrades to their two-way radio systems or additional radios. Other projects included emergency door alarms, security cameras, and security tint for windows.

NRA School Shield, in partnership with The NRA Foundation, has awarded more than $600,000 in grants to support vital school security projects and activities across the nation. A total of 54 grants were recommended to schools in 23 states, including both public and private K-12 educational institutions, aimed to help make our nation’s schools more secure by addressing known vulnerabilities through the implementation of industry best practices in security infrastructure, technology, personnel, training, and policy.

Incoming NRA President Oliver North reminds Americans that too many of our schools remain less protected than our sports stadiums and office buildings. This can’t last, and the NRA Foundation is committed to making a positive difference by offering financial assistance to schools across the country through our School Shield program.

The NRA School Shield program was launched in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, and it has the singular mission to protect children.

"We are so grateful to the NRA because there were deficiencies that were found. We put in for a grant for a beacon system; we were awarded the grant."

"I took it upon myself to look into what could be done to improve school safety and security. The NRA's School Shield Program made the most sense."

"Just because it's called NRA School Shield, they want to ignore what School Shield is doing."