White's bill gaining momentum for guns in school
HARRISBURG — State Sen. Don White has twice introduced legislation that would allow teachers and staff to carry firearms in schools in certain circumstances. Now the tragic shooting in Parkland, Fla., may push the bill through.
White's chief of staff, Joe Pittman, said on Monday that the bill has been introduced twice before, but failed in the state Senate.
“This third time is when the Senate passed it and advanced it to the House,” Pittman said. “Obviously the tragedy in Parkland has caused people to start taking a harder look at these options.”
The bill, which passed the Senate 28-22, is now before the House Education Committee. It will remain active there until Dec. 1.
White's bill seeks to clarify the authority of school boards regarding allowing certain school employees to carry firearms on school property to further enhance school security.
The bill establishes a framework for school districts looking to arm certain employees and allowing those employees access to firearms in school safety zones if authorized by the school board, licensed to carry a weapon and have met certain training requirements in the use and handling of firearms.
“This bill would provide another option for schools — especially those in rural areas — by providing a quick response to school shootings and improving the safety and security of our children, teachers and school staff,” White said in a memorandum.
Pittman stressed on Monday that carrying a weapon would be optional for teachers and staff.
“It's not something where you would envision every single school employee carrying a firearm,” he said.
He said the measure might be better for some districts than others, and predicted rural districts where first responders are not available immediately might benefit most from the bill.
Pittman said a group of teachers several months ago came to the Senate with the idea.
“They gave him the idea that this may be worth pursuing,” he said.
To those opposed to arming faculty and staff, Pittman said Pennsylvania would not be the first state to pass such legislation.
Ohio's training initiatives on arming school staff are used as models across the country, Pittman said, and more than 200 schools now have similar initiatives.
“I'm not aware of any incident where there has been a tragedy involving a school district where those programs are available,” he said.
Pittman recalled reporting from Parkland in which adults at the Stoneman Douglas High School died heroically shielding students who were in the line of fire.
“I would wonder, if just one of them had a firearm, if things would have turned out a little bit different,” he said.
Brian White, Butler School District superintendent, said on Tuesday that he appreciates the portion of the bill that gives control of the matter to school districts.
“We have so many state mandates that are not consistent with local constituents,” Brian White said. “It's healthy for local school boards to decide what they want to do.”
