The PA Senate has approved a bill introduced by Senator Don White that would give school boards the option of allowing licensed and trained personnel to carry firearms on school property.
White’s bill would allow the school boards to allow teachers to carry or have access to firearms in school safety zones provided the board sets up proper guidelines, if the person is licensed to carry a concealed firearm, and have met certain requirements in the use and handling of firearms in a State Police-approved program. An amendment also requires individuals to pass a psychological evaluation before they allowed to carry a firearm. It would also require school boards to notify student’s families and local hospitals when they give permission to the personnel to carry firearms and to file a firearm safety plan with the local law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction over the school.
White said that this bill is not a second amendment issue, but an issue of options for a school to protect itself when a police force is not close. The bill passed along party lines 28-22. It now heads to the State House for their consideration.
