This study determined the perceptions of school administrators who work at rural schools in Illinois classified as distant and remote on whether they need to be allowed to carry concealed weapons in order to protect themselves and their students by responding against armed intruders with deadly force. An existential conceptual/theoretical framework was used in the study. School administrators were surveyed at all 177 schools meeting the definition of distant and remote--5 to over 25 miles from urban areas--as defined by the New Urban-Centric Locale Code. 209 of the 554 administrators completed the survey. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the results of a survey. Among the key findings, were that most school administrators do not feel safely protected against an armed intruder, most Illinois rural schools do not employ a School Resource Officer, and school administrators at rural schools with short police response times feel safer than administrators at rural schools with longer police response times. Recommendations for additional research on this topic are also presented. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]