The Indiana senate has passed Senate Bill 263, which will now go to the House. While we support teachers being trained, this bill is the big government alternative to the bill proposed by Representative Jim Lucas. Unfortunately, the bill proposed by Rep. Lucas is not going to pass this legislative session. His bill provided training standards and funding for teachers to be trained, but it left the ultimate authority with the school boards. SB 263, as Guy Relford notes, creates a mandatory training program dictated by the State and eliminates local school board discretion as to who may or may not carry a firearm on school property based on the specific training they have received. It also arguably creates a monopoly in teacher training for a small group of instructors.
Once again, we support training for any school staff member who is authorized to carry a gun on school property, but SB 263 is a heavy-handed, big government response to the issue, and we oppose SB 263 in it’s current form.
Here is the synopsis of the SB 263:
Specialized weapons training. Provides that, before an employee or any other staff member of a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school, may carry a firearm in or on school property as authorized by a school board of the school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school, the employee or staff member shall do the following: (1) Successfully complete certain specialized weapons training or other firearm training. (2) Provide proof to the school board that the employee or other staff member has successfully completed the training. (3) Complete the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory 2 (MMPI-II) and provide the results from the inventory to the school board of the school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school. Establishes requirements for specialized weapons training. Requires an employee or any other staff member of a school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school to successfully complete sixteen hours of weapons training each year that the employee or staff member is authorized and intends to carry a firearm in or on school property. Provides that the specialized weapons training must be provided by a person or entity approved by the school board of the school corporation, charter school, or nonpublic school. Allows a school to barricade or block a door during an active shooter drill or during an active shooter emergency occurring in a school building.
You can see the full bill here: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/senate/263
