- A bill that would allow trained teachers and other school personnel to carry firearms in K-12 public schools has passed the West Virginia House of Delegates.
- Supporters argue the initiative would benefit poor school districts that cannot afford to hire school resource officers.
- Democratic Rep. Dave Fogin said of the proposal, “Evil is a problem. Hate is a problem. We want to fight hate with love, but unfortunately, if someone has a gun, it takes a gun.” Stated.
Representatives in Republican-dominated West Virginia overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday that would allow teachers and other school employees who receive training in K-12 public schools to carry guns.
The bill, currently before the Senate, would allow teachers, administrators, and support staff with concealed carry permits to voluntarily bring guns into schools for use in protecting the school in the event of a mass shooting. The content acknowledges that. Personnel designated as “school protection personnel” received no additional compensation for doing so.
Supporters argue that not all school systems in West Virginia can afford to hire full-time school resource officers. This program offers another option.
West Virginia authorities have not cited police for erratic driving.The incident is under investigation
Before the vote, Wood County Republican Rep. and physics teacher Dave Fogin said he couldn’t think of anything worse than shooting someone in a classroom. But he said if that person came to the school intending to harm a student, he would do so.
“Evil is a problem. Hate is a problem. We want to fight hate with love, but unfortunately, if someone has a gun, it takes a gun.” Lawmakers green-lighted the bill by a vote of 89-11. Foggin said earlier. Only Democrats voted “no.”
The Senate passed another bill last month that would allow county school boards to contract with military veterans and retired police officers to provide armed security at schools, and now it is being passed by the House. It is unclear how likely either bill will be passed by each chamber.
The House-passed bill is similar to a proposal that was approved by a House committee last year but never made it to the floor. This allowed the school district to participate in the conservation officer program after a public hearing that included local residents.
This year’s bill also would make the program voluntary until lawmakers approved a last-minute change during Wednesday’s deliberation to require school district participation if employees want to take on the role of custodial officer and complete training. This irritated Democrats and a few concerned Republicans. Local control was under threat.
Democratic Rep. Joey Garcia said school board members should be able to make their own decisions instead of being “forced to give them solutions” by the Legislature. Kanawha County Republican Rep. Dana Ferrell, an experienced educator, also cautioned that school board members “can be voted out if people aren’t happy with them.”
Seen here is the dome of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia. (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner, File)
Democratic Rep. Todd Kirby, a Republican, said if Congress allows the program to be voluntary, the school board won’t implement it.
Lawmakers rejected a Democratic amendment that would have given school custodial workers a $25,000 lump sum after completing training. Funding for the program has not yet been specified, but if the Senate approves the bill, it will be funded when lawmakers finalize their budget before the end of the session in March. includes an accounting memo estimating the training costs at $275,000.
The bill would require concealed firearms on campus and require educators to obtain a concealed carry permit. Staff members may also choose to carry stun guns or Tasers instead of guns.
The bill would require employees who carry weapons in schools to undergo an annual behavioral health evaluation and training organized by the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security. The bill establishes a list of at least 15 different topics to be addressed in training, including crisis intervention, trauma, and first aid.
The article states that if a teacher who is authorized to possess a firearm removes a firearm or ammunition from his or her “personal control” on school grounds, he or she may be “immediately removed from the classroom and subject to dismissal proceedings.” It is said that there is. According to the bill, the designation of a school protection officer can be revoked by a school at any time. Appeals may be made to the state Secretary of Homeland Security.
According to the bill, the identities of employees authorized to carry guns would be kept private and that information would be exempt from public records requests for student safety reasons. However, that information will be shared with the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement.
Democratic Rep. Kayla Young opposed the bill, saying it was scary to think that there might be guns in children’s schools and not knowing where they are or who has them.
“The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Young said, citing an argument used by supporters of the bill.
“I don’t know if I particularly agree with that, because if I did, the United States would probably be the safest place on earth,” she said. “But we have more gun violence than anywhere else.”
Rep. Doug Smith, R-Mercer County’s lead sponsor, said lawmakers are working hard to create a carefully thought-out program with safeguards to ensure only experienced and trained teachers carry weapons in schools. He said he worked on it.
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“It’s important to understand that this bill does not recommend arming all teachers,” he said. “It’s not a single answer, he’s one of the important tools.”
