U.S.A. -(Ammoland.com)- An Oklahoma bill to allow school boards to more easily protect their schools against armed attack is another step closer to passage. Several schools in Oklahoma already do so. HB 2339 allows school boards more flexibility in their decisions.
On 13 March, 2019, HB 2339 passed the Oklahoma House by a nearly three to one margin. There were 72 votes for the bill, 25 against, and 4 excused.
Oklahoma Senator David Bullard has been successful in passing Teacher Carry legislation, through the education committee. The bill will now go to the full senate.
House Bill 2336, by Sen. David Bullard, would allow a local board of education to adopt a policy to authorize the carrying of a handgun onto school property by school personnel who hold a valid reserve peace officer certification or who possess a valid handgun license.
“In a day and age where we’ve witnessed unthinkable acts of carnage to the most innocent among us, I’m proud to bring legislation that will allow the vulnerable to be protected. This bill provides local control by permitting a school that can’t afford a resource officer to still be able to protect their students from acts of violence,” said Bullard, R-Durant. “Schools can decide whether to use this protection or not. It’s a decision best left to local schools and law enforcement. This simply gives local schools the option of offering greater protection for their students – an option that could well save lives.”
Bullard noted that 24 other states have Teacher Carry including three neighboring states. Oklahoma private schools have had the policy in place effectively for six years.
People with concealed carry permits have been shown to be safer, and more law abiding, than police officers. The effect of the law would be to allow local schools to increase protection against school shootings without the expense of full time school resource officers. School resource officers cost between $50,000 and $80,000 a year for mere salary costs. Benefits are typically 40-80 percent of salaries, adding $20,000 to $60,000 to the cost per officer per year.
By allowing interested teachers, many of which have prior experience as police officers or in the military, to be armed while on the job in schools, there are no additional salary or benefits costs.
The bill simply allows boards of education to designate school personnel who already have training, to carry firearms at their school. This adds an additional level of security, and greatly increases the difficulty of planning for attacks on schools.
The bill does not differentiate between school personnel. Any school personnel who possess an armed security guard and private investigator license, hold a valid reserve peace officer certification, or posses a valid hand gun license, and meet any other criteria required by the school board, would be available to be certified by the school board to carry at the school.
Teachers, administrators, maintenance personnel would all be available for a school board to recruit from.
The bill has been mischaracterized by Rolling Stone as “Arming Teachers with no weapon training”.
The bill does nothing of the sort. It simply allows school boards more discretion to increase the defensive capabilities at their school.
24 states currently allow school boards to determine who will be armed at their school.
No significant problems with armed school personnel have been noted in those states.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Outstanding move to consider armed staff in these schools and it should have done sooner. Gun Free Zones are a proven joke and only invited an attack by a POS coward who knew no one could stop them for some time.
I think it was George Bush and Joe Biden that had a brain fart and came up with the stupid sign that says If you are a criminal and want to shoot a place up this is the place because the sign says “No guns allowed”. I can’t believe the sign is still in use all over the country.
Just like car jackings go, they do it because they can do it with minimal risk. So add in a few armed citizens and that action ativity stops right now. No bad guy wants to get shot. Same with schools and any other place where the folks are banned from having weapons. I think this will help denture bad guys and those with a anti-America agenda. Fact is, the next step would be to teach gun safety in school. That could everyone in society. Only an evil person would target children to begin with, and like a poisonous snake, should… Read more »
Are you aware that carjacking is punishable Federally with a forty year sentence. I knew the first two sentenced under that law. They were brothers and got the full monty. The ringleader was sentenced by the State of Texas to death for killing the old white guy that was driving the car. The killer actually spent a relatively short period on death row before Texas put him down.
Society is safer when criminals don’t know who’s armed.
“There is no man who is more enslaved, than he who thinks he is truly free.”
Johan Vangoth
I am a retired Texas university & pub. school school teacher, 30 years experience. I have taken/wrestled away numerous knives, several brass knuckles/num-chucks & 2 pistols from little shitheads, Thank GOD for my previous military training, but a significant number of teachers have never served in the military nor know simple self-defense measures. IMHO – it should be a required course for those desiring to become an educator. I am also a strong proponent of the 2nd Amendment.
Shouldn’t it be “Staff IS” armed?
Most schools will employ more than one staff person. Singular and plural form of the word are the same. The “staff” at any given school will almost certainly number somewhere above one. Thus in this use the word “staff” assumes the plural. Plural nouns require the olura form of the verb, in this case “staff ARE armed and dangerous to those of evil intent.”
If’n yer a gonna play grammar nazi learn the game yourself. Otherwise you’ll use a faux pas such as the one you worte to proove you’re a twit with.
great, but why should anyone have to get “legislative”permission? ans: lra (lawyer-run america)
@m, There is no profit in letting the American people be free.
there are probably laws on the books, state or local, that prohibit everyone but LE to be armed on school property. Thus a bill like this to carve out the exception. Ohio had to do the same thing when they, in the wake of the Scammy Crooks School “shooting” developed the FASTER saves lives programme. Part of their work to get it done was to work with the Ohio legislature to change the laws to allow non-LE to be armed on school turf. They did a masterful job developeing the programme, funding it (NOT ONE DIME paid by taxpayers, yet… Read more »