Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed legislation Monday to allow school staff and teachers to be armed for classroom defense. This was done by Ohio lawmakers who had expedited legislation to arm teachers following the May 24, 2022, Uvalde, school shooting in Texas.
According to 10 WBNS, DeWine had made it clear that he would sign the legislation and reported that DeWine stated-
“That’s our commitment to our schools, to our parents [and] to our students.”
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Governor DeWine used Monday's news conference to highlight other school safety initiatives that he's has introduced since the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Grants that schools can use to upgrade building security in the new capital budget includes $100 million dollars in state funding. Ohio is also investing in training to help school staff identify behavioral health problems in students. A very necessary part of assessing students for high risk. The Governor stated-
"We are trying to do and have been trying to do every single day things that people keep safer – keep kids in school safer but also these same children who go home to neighborhoods where there's violent crime and repeat violent offenders," adding "Their lives are important, too. All children's lives are important."
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine
DeWine signed the legislation as promised on Monday.
Lowering the required training hours for armed school personnel from about 700 hours to four scenario-based training hours, plus a maximum of 20 hours for first-aid training, history of school shootings and reunification education was done to ensure teachers could be ready for classroom defense when school starts this fall.
The new law with streamlined training requirements, means that teachers can be armed. Noting that, according to The New York Times, this legislation does not force schools to arm teachers. Schools that do not want staff and teachers armed can still bar them from carrying guns for classroom defense.
However, one interested Teacher put it this way –
“I’m a teacher who owns firearms. Give me free range time and ammo and I’m all in. Concealed carry at school is the way to go. If you can tell I’m carrying then I’m doing it wrong.”
-ESPM, Breitbart Blogger