Photo courtesy of Indiana House Republicans Flickr Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, is shown on the House floor March 23. Lucas authored a controversial state-sponsored gun training bill for teachers.
INDIANAPOLIS — Both chambers of Indiana’s General Assembly voted to accept the final version of a state-funded teacher firearms training proposal on Wednesday, along with an omnibus health bill featuring some significant provisions.
Lawmakers gave school districts the authority to let their employees carry firearms at school a decade ago, but offered no training protocols.
House Bill 1177 would establish a standardized 40-hour curriculum and let schools with participating staff apply for state training funding. Supporters say participating teachers should have access to training, but others have implied the original authorization should never have passed.
“This bill is not the answer. This bill won’t stop school shootings,” said Democrat Rep. Tonya Pfaff, a longtime math teacher from Terre Haute. She spoke on the House floor Wednesday.
Pfaff and other Democrats argued the bill would lead to more firearms in schools, increasing the potential for their misuse.
Bill author Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, said the legislation isn’t meant to be a cure-all.
“This is not a solution. There are no guarantees,” Lucas said. He framed the bill as an “option” — voluntary for both schools and teachers.
“It is simply impossible to guarantee that (a school shooting) will never happen again,” Lucas added. He argued that controlling movement within schools would turn them into prisons.
The bill won over some Democrats.
Rep. Maureen Bauer of South Bend said she voted for the bill because of a provision requiring the Department of Education and Indiana State Police to develop educational materials on safe firearm storage and to distribute them to parents with kids in school. She acknowledged that the legislation didn’t go as far as she wanted, but said it could prevent accidents and shootings.
The House approved the bill on a 72-22 vote, while the Senate gave it a 41-8 vote.
Whitney Downard contributed to this report. The Indiana Capital Chronicle covers the state legislature and state government. For more visit indianacapitalchronicle.com.
