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SOME OHIO TEACHERS 'TERRIFIED' OVER NEW BILL ALLOWING EDUCATORS TO CARRY GUNS IN
SCHOOL

The bill would allow teachers to carry guns in school with little training.

ByNadine El-Bawab
June 2, 2022, 9:48 PM

1:37

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine discusses proposals to improve school safety in the state
following this week's massacre of 19 children and two teachers in a Texas
elementary school, May 27, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP



Teachers in Ohio are frustrated after lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that
would allow them and other school staff to carry guns in school safety zones,
with little training.

The bill overrules an Ohio Supreme Court decision from last year that required
teachers to receive gun training equivalent to the training police officers
receive. If signed into law by the governor, it would create a minimum training
commitment of 24 hours for teachers who voluntarily choose to carry guns in
schools.


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"I think that the idea to arm teachers is a way for lawmakers to pass the buck
on much bigger issues," Tate Moore, a seventh-grade English teacher in Ohio,
told ABC News.

Moore said he is worried about the "unintended consequences" of teachers
carrying guns in schools, saying something bad could happen.

"It seems like more things are getting added to our plate. And nothing is being
taken off," Moore said. "I'm just not sure how much more teachers can take."

Erin Gabbard, an opponent of GOP legislation that would permit Ohio school
districts to arm employees by creating training standards, testifies against the
latest version of the bill, May 31, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP

Moore said it is not a teacher's job to stop a school shooter.

"I have yet to find one teacher who thinks it's a good idea for teachers to
carry firearms," he said.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he will sign the bill into law, with his office
telling ABC News he had been working for several weeks to get this bill passed.


MORE: HOW TO REVERSE THE TEACHER CRISIS EXACERBATED BY THE PANDEMIC: EXPERTS



Ohio police go through over 700 hours of police training. A representative for
the governor's office said more than 600 hours of that training is related to
policing and would not be appropriate for teachers.

"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," DeWine said in a statement to ABC News.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine discusses proposals to improve school safety in the state
following this week's massacre of 19 children and two teachers in a Texas
elementary school, May 27, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP

Another Ohio teacher said the bill is scary to her.

"I love to teach and, to me, that is my primary job. So to have this layer added
to it is quite terrifying," Lauren Alberti, a sixth-grade teacher, told ABC
News.

Alberti said she is worried this bill would deter people from going into
education and result in more teacher shortages, a crisis felt in schools across
the U.S.

Alberti also said she is concerned about it becoming teachers' responsibility to
shoot a gunman and worries what would happen to teachers if they were to shoot
and miss.

"If you really want to eradicate the issue, I don't think that fighting fire
with fire is the answer," Alberti said.


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She later added that she would feel "on edge all the time" if there were guns in
her school. She said other teachers she's spoken with have also told her they
are not comfortable with what this bill allows.

Alberti said it would be better to work on the root problems that cause
shootings, like working on mental health programs and anti-bullying campaigns or
even increasing the number of security guards.

Asked about teachers' criticism of the proposed rule, Joe Eaton, the program
director of pro-gun group FASTER saves lives, told ABC News this bill is
important to allow teachers to protect themselves in schools.

"If they're already in the school buildings, they are in danger so they deserve
the right to protect themselves and the students they're responsible for, right
now," Eaton said. He also said it is a voluntary program and there is no
requirement for schools to implement it.

Rob Sexton, lobbyist for Buckeye Firearms Association and a supporter of GOP
legislation that would permit Ohio school districts to arm employees by creating
training standards, testifies in favor of the latest version of the bill, May
31, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.
Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP

Eaton said teachers and staff willingly put themselves between shooters and
students to protect them, saying "we owe it to them" to allow them to defend
themselves. He also said the cost of bringing in school police officers is high
and it may not be a good solution for schools with large campuses.



Eaton also pushed back on claims this could fuel teacher shortages saying, there
is "no indication that that could ever happen."

Sara DeMuch, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of gun control group Moms Demand
Action, told ABC News she is "continuously disappointed" in Ohio legislators for
repeatedly making decisions that "put students and teachers at risk."


MORE: WHY GUN CONTROL EFFORTS IN CONGRESS HAVE MOSTLY FAILED FOR 30 YEARS:
TIMELINE



"We have done enough. And it is time for us to get back to just being students
and teachers and do what we do in schools. And it's time for our politicians to
step up and tackle the problems that are going on," DeMuch said.

DeMuch said there is no data or research that supports arming teachers in
schools and called on legislators to stop putting extra work on teachers.

"It's unrealistic, it's dangerous, it's irresponsible. And I think the way that
they fast-tracked this bill is reprehensible," DeMuch said.

"As an Ohio public school teacher, I'm afraid, going forward, for our schools,
I'm afraid for our students, I'm afraid for other teachers," DeMuch added.

Related Topics
Gun Control

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