Pennsylvania's State Senate passed a bill that would allow school districts the option of permitting employees trained in handling and using firearms to possess them on school premises for additional security.
Sen. Don White, R-Indiana County, said his bill would clarify existing law that bans weapons on school property to say specifically that school employees trained in the use of a firearms are permitted to be armed on campus.
"Teachers have come to me and said I want the opportunity to defend my children and to defend my life and give me something more powerful than an eraser to throw at these people," White said. White has argued that in more rural areas of the state where it can take a half hour for police to respond, arming school personnel is a necessary preventive measure.
The committee voted 9-3 to allow the bill to be positioned for eventual consideration by the full Senate.
An advocacy group has produced a series of videos to raise public awareness about the bill, that is now before the state House.
CeaseFire PA has posted three videos on YouTube to call attention to the bill.
