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Friday, June 9, 2023 | 
U.S. & World Politics

New Ohio law allows teachers to carry guns — after 24 hours of training

Here is what we know about Ohio’s newest gun law

By Ashley Nash
SHARE New Ohio law allows teachers to carry guns — after 24 hours of training
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Quinn Nicolich looks at her classroom at Granite Elementary School on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. The classroom is lit by sunlight from portals installed in the roof. The skylights allow natural light to fill classrooms that are windowless, increasing energy savings and motivating students.

Colter Peterson, Deseret News

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill on Monday that would require teachers to go through 24 hours of firearms and school safety training, opposed to the 700 hours that were previously required, according to Ohio House Bill 99.

Training: The new firearm training will require teachers to go through four hours of scenario-based training, and 20 hours of “first-aid training, history of school shootings and reunification education,” the Columbus Dispatch says.

  • An additional eight hours of annual training will also be required, per CBS.
  • “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,” DeWine said in a statement.
  • “Those 700 hours of training were intended to broadly train law enforcement. The vast majority of that training is not really relevant to a school safety, directly,” DeWine said, according to CNN.
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Between the lines: This bill won’t allow all teachers to be able to legally carry firearms, due to the fact that it is still illegal to have guns on school property in Ohio without the proper training.

  • HB99 will allow each school district to decide whether or not teachers can carry firearms, and how much training they need to complete, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

Mixed reactions: DeWine said in a statement that he believes the bill accomplishes the goals of providing Ohio schools with “security and safety.”

  • “I thank the General Assembly for passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers. I look forward to signing this important legislation,” DeWine said.
  • On the other hand, California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave a sarcastic response to the bill, stating that “Highly trained police officers couldn’t stop the mass shooter in Uvalde. Apparently the solution is ... to reduce the training needed for our teachers to have guns. Makes complete sense.”