OH Appeals Court Nixes Armed School Staff :: 04/10/2020

Schools have been ordered closed by Gov. Mike DeWine until at least mid-May, and it’s likely that students won’t be heading back to class until the fall, but when they do there could be some big changes in store for districts that have adopted policies allowing for volunteer, vetted, and trained teachers and staff to carry firearms as a first line of defense for students in case of an active shooter on school grounds.

An appeals court in Ohio recently ruled that armed school staff must receive more than 700 hours of training in order to carry on campus without breaking the law, which is the same amount of training required to become a certified police officer in the state.

Sean Maloney of Buckeye Firearms Association and FASTER Ohio joins me on today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co to talk about the absurd ruling, and what happens next.

Maloney says the majority on the appeals court that heard the case against Madison School District simply erred when it ruled that Ohio law requires any armed school staff to obtain the same amount of training as law enforcement receives, noting that there are actually two statutes in state law dealing with guns on campus. One requires law enforcement, security guards, and “others” on duty on school campuses to receive that large amount of training, but another statute allows for school districts to designate individuals who are allowed to carry on school grounds.

What’s more, the state legislature in Ohio has actually approved hundreds of thousands of dollars for teachers and staff to receive firearms training through the FASTER program and other courses. If, as the appeals court claims, the legislature didn’t intend for school staff to carry firearms in defense of students, why have they repeatedly approved funds for precisely that purpose?

Maloney says it’s likely that the school district will appeal to the Ohio State Supreme Court, but he also notes that the legislature is considering a bill that would make it crystal clear that school districts that choose to adopt a policy allowing for armed school staff can do so. He’s hopeful that bill will pass before the state Supreme Court even weighs in on the issue, but he tells Bearing Arms that he’s confident that justices will overturn the decision by the appellate court if they do end up hearing the case.

Also on today’s program we have the story of a woman in Texas who received probation for her role in an armed robbery, violated that probation almost a dozen times, and was recently sentenced to more probation as a result. We’ll also tell you about an armed citizen in Buckeye, Arizona defended himself against a home invader, and today’s good deed; an anonymous donor who’s helping to keep a Phoenix, Arizona restaurant open and serving meals to those in need during the coronavirus crisis.

Have a very happy Easter weekend, and thanks as always for watching, listening, and spreading the word!

Cam Edwards has covered the 2nd Amendment for more than 15 years as a broadcast and online journalist, as well as the co-author of "Heavy Lifting: Grow Up, Get a Job, Start a Family, and Other Manly Advice" with Jim Geraghty. He lives outside of Farmville, Virginia with his family. https://bearingarms.com/author/camedwards/

https://bearingarms.com/cam-e/2020/04/10/oh-appeals-court-nixes-armed-school-staff/