*************LAME DUCK SESSION UPDATE************

SB 317, "Exempt from training if allowed to go armed in school safety zone," PASSED THE SENATE ON NOVEMBER 19 AND HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO THE HOUSE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE. IF YOU WRITE YOUR TESTIMONY HERE, WE WILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN A HEARING IS SCHEDULED, LIKELY DEC. 8-10.

Before you write your testimony, please call the Speaker of the Ohio House, Representative Bob Cupp, (614) 466-9624, and tell the person who answers that you strongly oppose SB 317. Please also call State Rep. Gayle Manning, Chair of the Primary and Secondary Education Committee, (614) 644-5076.

When you write your message below we will format it into testimony and send it back to you along with the Witness Information Form and instructions on how to send it to the appropriate committee. Once submitted to the committee, your testimony will be in the public record and available on the committee website.

You may also wish to send a copy to your own State Representative, who you can look up at https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/. Click on the link to your Representative and on their page, click "Email Representative" and paste your message into the form. You may wish to adapt your message slightly for your own Representative.

Tips for writing your testimony:
- Introduce yourself as an Ohio resident and voter, say where you are from and/or where you live, and include a sentence about your background.
- Include a fact or two from the Everytown Fact Sheet or other resources below.
- Share a personal story or connection as to why you oppose this bill. Why does it matter to you?
- Close by urging the committee to vote against SB 317.

Here are some talking points if you'd like to use them:

The gun lobby is pushing dangerous legislation in Ohio that would drastically reduce safety training requirements for teachers who carry loaded handguns inside elementary, middle and high schools. Lawmakers should put the safety of their constituents first and reject SB 317.

SB 317 would allow teachers to carry loaded guns in Ohio elementary, middle, and high schools without completing the safety training required by current Ohio law. Under current state law, all armed school employees—including teachers, security guards, and special police—must either complete an approved basic peace officer training course, or have completed 20 years of active duty as a peace officer.

But SB 317 would exempt teachers from this requirement, and allow school districts to employ armed personnel in schools with as little as 8 hours of concealed carry training (6 of which can be completed online)—or with no training at all, if firearms are not concealed when carried.

There is no amount of training that makes it safe for teachers to carry guns in schools. SB 317 would worsen an already-dangerous situation by gutting the training Ohio law currently requires and allowing teachers to carry guns in schools without extensive safety training.

This bill was introduced after the 12th District Court of Appeals disagreed with a lower court that the Madison Local School District could pass a resolution allowing district employees to carry concealed firearms into school safety zones. The court ruled that “exceptions for certain school personnel” included in Ohio Revised Code did not allow the district to give authority to personnel without the proper training by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) or without 20 years of active duty as an officer.

More than 300 constituents and organizations submitted testimony in opposition to SB 317 in the Senate, and there were only two testimonies in favor, from the NRA and Buckeye Firearms. The House of Representatives must listen to constituents rather than gun lobbyists and reject this dangerous bill.

Resources:
Analysis of Bill: https://tinyurl.com/SB317Analysis
Everytown Fact Sheet: https://tinyurl.com/ET-SB317-FactSheet

Articles about bill:
https://tinyurl.com/Journal-News-6-23-2020
https://tinyurl.com/OH-Capital-Journal-6-18-2020
Everytown School Safety Report Summary: https://tinyurl.com/ETSchoolSafety

Testimony Template:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SFf0TSuk11A1UJpQAEO011HxNXE0kMiK/view