COLUMBUS, Ohio (WAND) - Ohio's governor will consider a bill allowing educators to carry guns.
NBC affiliate WCMH reports the bill moved quickly through the Statehouse on Wednesday after 21 people were killed in a Texas elementary school mass shooting. The Senate approved it with a 23-9 vote before the House followed with a 56-34 vote. There were nine reported abstentions.
House Bill 99 allows any adult in a public or private school to have a concealed firearm on them in a school safety zone, should a district choose to allow it. They would not have to go through 737 hours of peace officer training that Ohio currently requires in its laws.
In late May, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine asked state lawmakers to pass the bill in order to create "adequate, scenario-based training" for educators. He issued the following statement:
“Last week I called on the General Assembly to pass a bill that would allow local school districts, if they so chose, to designate armed staff for school security and safety. My office worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety and to ensure training requirements were specific to a school environment and contained significant scenario-based training. House Bill 99 accomplishes these goals, and I thank the General Assembly for passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers. I look forward to signing this important legislation.”
The bill has seen opposition in a hearing before the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee.
“Asking teachers who are already overburdened to add more to their plate by serving in a dual role where they’re both responsible for educating children and now in some cases where this might be implemented for armed security in schools, we think is not really addressing the issue,” said Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro.
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