Guns for teachers: Ohio Senate passes bill

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A bill allowing education staff to carry guns in schools with reduced training was passed by the Ohio Senate Wednesday.

On the heels of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 21 people dead, the Senate voted 23-9 to approve House Bill 99, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township). HB 99 would allow any adult in a public or private school carry a concealed firearm in a school's safety zone if a district so chooses -- without the 737 hours of peace officer training currently required.

The bill, which passed the House in a 59-33 vote in November, will now be sent back for a concurrence vote. If approved for a second time by the House, the bill will make its way to the desk of Gov. Mike DeWine -- who said in late May that he asked the Ohio General Assembly to pass the bill to implement "adequate, scenario-based training" for education staff.

Before senators voted on HB 99, Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) motioned to lay on the table an amendment that would task certified peace officers in Ohio with the training of teachers and school staff. Fedor's amendment, which lawmakers agreed to place on the table for future consideration in a 25-7 vote, would also allow peace officers to specify the minimum number of training hours required.

At a hearing before the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee Tuesday, the overwhelming majority of speakers who testified spoke in opposition of the bill, including many individual teachers and representatives from the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and Ohio Federation of Teachers.

Under the bill as proposed before Fedor's amendment under consideration, school staff who wish to carry a handgun are required to undergo only 24 hours of training, as opposed to the current 737-hour peace officer training requirement. Schools are free to require more than the 24 hours mandated by the bill.

The training breaks down as follows:

• 18 hours of general training
• Two hours of handgun training
• Two hours of “additional” general training
• Two hours of “additional” handgun training

It's unclear whether Ohio's upcoming "constitutional carry" gun law -- which permits Ohioans aged 21 and up to carry a gun without a concealed carry permit -- will have an effect on this requirement for teachers.