On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill allowing teachers and school staff to carry guns in schools with only 24 hours of training.
The bill, HB99, reduces the number of hours of training that staff members need to undergo before they’re allowed to carry firearms on school grounds.
Teachers must now have at least 24 hours of training compared to the 700 hours that was previously required, reported the New York Post.
DeWine said the measure has been in the works since last year, but the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas “certainly increased the urgency to enact it”.
“My office worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety and to ensure training requirements were specific to a school environment and contained significant scenario-based training,” he said.
NBC4 reported that the 24 hours of training will consist of 18 hours of general training, two hours of handgun training, two hours of “additional” general training and two hours of “additional” handgun training.
Teachers and staff will be required to complete training on how to stop an active shooter and de-escalate violent situations. They will also undergo simulated training exercises.
“This does not require any school to arm teachers or staff,” DeWine said. “Every school will make its own decision”.
Under the new law, school board members will still need to approve staff members carrying guns within schools.