PA Teachers Lead Fight Against "Reckless" Bill Allowing Guns in Schools
State Senators vote to allow educators and school staff to carry guns to schools
Bring Your Gun to School – Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Senate | gadflyonthewallblog - http://wp.me/p4QD1W-2wb via @StevenSinger3
The gun control advocacy group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is leading the fight against a newly-passed bill in the Pennsylvania State Senate, which would allow teachers and other employees to carry firearms in public schools.
The bill passed with a vote of 28-22, with 26 Republicans and two Democrats supporting it. Fourteen Democrats and eight Republicans voted against the bill. The bill now heads to the state's House of Representatives.
The Pennsylvania chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group that works with Everytown for Gun Safety, denounced the lawmakers' "recklessness" in passing the bill. The chapter's leader, Deb Marteslo, noted Thursday that the legislation has been met with strong disapproval by the same teachers who would now be permitted to carry guns to school.
"The only people who should be armed in our schools are highly trained members of our law enforcement community or other security professionals. As a longtime educator in Orwigsburg and Camp Hill, I know that the overwhelming majority of my colleagues are opposed to this bill. Instead of heeding the advice of those of us in classrooms, however, state senators have sided with the national gun lobby."
Another educator, Steven Singer, also decried the bill online, noting that he'd prefer the state prioritize reducing class sizes with more funding for public schools, and regulating charter schools, rather than arming school staff.
He also drew attention to conservatives' hypocrisy on allowing guns in certain public and PA Teachers Lead Fight Against "Reckless" Bill Allowing Guns in Schools | Common Dreams: