The head of four child care centers in Maine says he wants to arm himself to protect children with special needs, but state regulations don’t allow firearms at licensed child care facilities. Jeff Johnson, head of the Children’s Center, a licensed child care facility for special needs children, said he wants to have the right to have a gun inside his four Children’s Center locations in Augusta, Gardiner, Skowhegan and Norridgewock. “An engaged, armed security presence will either stop that event from taking place initially or will slow it down until first responders can arrive,” Johnson said. For Johnson, the Parkland school shooting in Florida hit close to home because he used to live there. Then there was the manhunt after Somerset County sheriff’s Cpl.