Gun Training Bill In Debate

School districts could set their own training requirements for armed employees, under Republican legislation, arising from a court battle…over one district’s reaction to a school shooting. The legislation pending in the GOP-controlled House Criminal Justice Committee would set a minimum of 20 hours of training…on top of what’s needed to obtain a concealed weapons permit. The bill is meant to override a state Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, which interpreted current Ohio law to require that armed teachers would need the same training as police, amounting to hundreds of hours. That would put the practice out of reach of almost all districts because of the time and expense. In February 2016, a 14-year-old boy opened fire on fellow students at a school cafeteria in southwestern Ohio. The teen pleaded guilty later that year to four attempted murder counts and one count of inducing panic.