Bill would enable schools to allow guns

The Judiciary Committee heard testimony Feb. 16 on a bill that would allow possession of firearms in schools.

LB516, introduced by Imperial Sen. Mark Christensen, would allow all governing bodies of state educational institutions the option of allowing security guards, administrators and teaching staff to carry a concealed handgun on school property.

The bill would allow school boards to adopt a policy allowing guns on a two-thirds vote and would require that all students and parents be notified of the policy. The bill also would require that personnel carrying concealed handguns be in compliance with the Concealed Handgun Act and possess a concealed handgun permit.

Some school districts in rural areas of the state can be 25 miles from the nearest law enforcement, Christensen said. LB516 could give superintendents and school boards another option for dealing with threatening situations that may arise before police can arrive, he added.

Andy Allen, president of the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, testified in support of the bill, saying it is about giving schools options.

“My hometown, when I was growing up, had only one police officer,” Allen said.

Since it is not possible to have a police officer at each school, he said, the bill would give schools the option to use more available resources.

Brian Hale, director of communications for the Nebraska Association of School Boards, testified in opposition to the bill.

“We see the ability for more people to have weapons in school as a problem because it gives students the opportunity to wrestle them away,” Hale said. “The safety of schools is probably going to be ensured by having fewer weapons in the school rather than more.”

Bill Kuehn, director of security for Lincoln Public Schools, also testified in opposition to the bill, saying it would cause safety concerns and create a different climate for schools.

“The primary mission of administrators and teachers is to provide education,” Kuehn said. “Their mission is not to act as law enforcement at school.”

Owen Yardley, chief of police services for the University Nebraska – Lincoln, testified in opposition to the bill.

When a situation arises involving a shooter, Yardley said, law enforcement is trained to assume that the person with the gun is the perpetrator. Arming more people with guns, he said, would cause confusion about who the perpetrator is.

David Baker, deputy chief of the Omaha Police Department, provided neutral testimony, saying he understands that smaller school districts do not have access to the same resources as larger districts.

“If we’re going to permit this on a state level then the state should mandate the training — and specifically training for school environments,” Baker said.

The committee also heard testimony on another bill that would give school districts the option of allowing possession of firearms.

The committee took no immediate action on LB516.