So, it looks like teachers in Ohio didn’t follow the anti-gun memo that they cannot be for arming themselves because one county had so many teachers signed up for a gun training course,some had to be turned away. At least 500 teachers signed up for a free course in order to obtain their concealed carry permits, but the cut off point was 300. The Butler County Sheriff’s Department is offering the class (via Fox19):
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones announced earlier this week in a three-line tweet his agency would hold firearm instruction for 50 teachers in light of the deadly mass school shooting in Florida.
But his offer set off received such an overwhelming response, those slots filled in just 20 minutes and another 200 signed up over the next 24 hours.
The sheriff said Thursday his agency cut off sign-ups at 300 and classes will begin Monday: "We could have kept going to 500. Even secretaries have called."
Classes will continue all week and possibly continue on weekends, depending on demand. All school personnel including janitors and secretaries are welcome, too.
"Our classes are moving very quickly," Jones said. "We are signing people up. When people say school teachers do not want to be armed, and school personnel, that is a lie. That is not true."
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Ohio state law permits concealed carry permit holders to store their guns in the car while in a school zone. But only law enforcement officers can carry firearms into schools unless school boards give permission for others to.
One Butler County school district, Edgewood in Trenton, had a policy in place prior to that permitting "professional staff members" with CCW training and other conditions to keep guns locked in vehicles on school grounds.
Sheriff Richard Jones added that most school shootings are over in three-and-a-half to four minutes; police response time is usually around five minutes. It’s one of the few reasons why he’s pushing these courses to make schools safer in his jurisdiction, though many disagree with the initiative. Another one that’s being floated is hiring military veterans as armed security in schools.
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