'I think the time has come:' Bills aim to arm staff, security guards in Maine schools
AUGUSTA (WGME) – Republican lawmakers are proposing arming teachers and school security guards in Maine as a response to school shootings across the country.
There are three bills so far that could allow for school staff or security guards to be armed.
Some lawmakers believe this could be helpful in rural areas or in districts that don’t have a school resource officer.
One the bills, sponsored by Rep. Steven Foster (R-Dexter), is called "An Act to Allow Certain Employees to Carry Firearms on School Property."
It would allow a school employee to be exempt from the prohibition on possessing a firearm on public school property or the property of an approved private school, or discharging a firearm within 500 feet of such schools.
However, the employee would have to have successfully completed certification and training prescribed by the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. And, the person would have to be authorized by the school board to process or discharge a firearm “for the purpose of enhancing the safety and security of the school and in defense of students, staff and members of the public on school premises.”
“I think the time has come,” Rep. Foster said.
Foster says he started thinking about this bill after seeing the Parkland shooting, when 17 people were shot and killed at a Florida high school.
“And during the first reports, it came out an educator or coach had given his life to protect students,” Foster said.
But some advocates disagree with this approach.
“It’s not the trend we want to see Maine go in or certainly any other state in the country,” Maine Gun Safety Coalition Legislative Director Lynn Ellis said. “Adding firearms to a situation doesn’t solve the problem. And there are many other ways to go around making schools safer.”
The Gun Safety Coalition believes teachers wouldn’t get the same level of training as law enforcement.
“Teachers are there to teach children. Make them feel safe and secure,” Ellis said.
In some of the school shootings across the nation, there were trained law enforcement present that were unable to stop the threat.
“Well, I understand that,” Foster said. “I think in some of those cases, it’s been shown that the actions were not what we would consider up to standard.”
Foster argues that you don’t know how someone might react in these situations until it happens.
In response, the co-chair for the legislature’s gun safety caucus, a Democrat, released a statement.
“We all want to keep our children safe in schools. It is our top priority. But our caucus believes that putting guns in the classroom is not the way to do it, and the teachers we have spoken with are not in favor of this measure.”
A hearing for Foster’s bill has not been set yet.
The language for two other bills has not yet been released.
The working title for a bill by Sen. Eric Brakey (R-Androscoggin) is called ‘An Act to Allow School Administrative Units to Establish Rules, Procedures and Guidelines for Properly Trained Staff to Carry a Concealed Handgun on School Property While Acting in Their Official Capacities.’
However, after reviewing Foster’s bill, Sen. Brakey says he will likely support that version, which is very similar to what Brakey intended to put forward.
"This is about local control and protecting students. In many rural Maine communities, the nearest police officer may be an hour away, leaving schools defenseless. That is why local districts should have an option to authorize an employee, with regular crisis response training, to access a firearm for the protection of students in an emergency,” Sen. Brakey said, in a statement.
Rep. John Andrews (R-Paris) has requested a bill with the working title, “An Act to Provide for Professional Armed Security in Schools.”
Andrews says he hopes the legislation would empower school boards to be able to contract with qualified people for their armed security needs if they choose to do so.
"Our towns are full of veterans, retired Law Enforcement Officers and other professionals who want to help protect their communities with their unique skill sets. I have talked with retired SWAT Officers and military contractors who protected embassies around the world and they are excited to help craft this bill into something that could really provide a real world solution for security in our schools for those who choose to participate,” Rep. Andrews said, in a statement.