INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana law says designated teachers at schools are allowed to carry firearms with no training required, if the school district allows it.
Some are calling for stricter guidelines. But the matter currently under discussion isn't whether teachers should be armed, but rather who pays for the training if they are.
At the Statehouse Wednesday, the Education Committee voted to send the proposal to the full House, where all members can look at it and make changes.
Currently, any school board across the state can vote for teachers in their district to carry a gun at school if they've been trained in how to use it. The Indiana State Teachers Association says fewer than five Hoosier school districts have given their teachers that ability.
Under House Bill 1177, teachers would take 40 hours of firearms training developed with the help of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, all of it voluntary after a school district approved it. Teachers would also have to undergo a psychological evaluation.
"This training class, 40-plus hours, is designed to take the average person on the street and get them to a level of proficiency that in the event of an active school situation, they would at least have an opportunity to defend themselves and those around them if they so choose," said Rep. Jim Lucas, R-District 69.
The bill also calls for the identity of any teacher who did the training to be kept confidential.