By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Monday, in the wake of the disastrous Parkland High School shooting in Florida that left 17 dead, State Rep. Tommy Hanes, R-Scottsboro, is co-sponsoring a bill sponsored by Rep. Will Ainsworth, R-Guntersville, that would allow trained school staff to carry a firearm on campus to serve as a deterrent for future school shootings.
“I am proud to co-sponsor Rep. Will Ainsworth’s legislation that will allow public school teachers with proper law enforcement training and certification to carry firearms during school hours in case an active shooter situation occurs,” Hanes said. “The average school shooting incident lasts three minutes from beginning to end, and our teachers should have the ability to protect their students and themselves until law enforcement arrives.”
Hanes said that he believes that enacting gun control legislation infringes upon the constitutional liberties of responsible, law-abiding citizens. Instead, we should use the Second Amendment as a means of security for our children.
“Gun-free zones are a magnet to those who want to do harm, so it is time to utilize our Second Amendment gun rights in order to defend students, teachers, and others within our school communities. Someone who is already willing to break laws against murder isn’t going to follow a gun control law. We must put safeguards in place now before it is too late and a school shooting occurs in Alabama,” said Hanes.
Hanes said in the release that during his service in the Alabama House of Representatives, he has been a leading advocate of public safety legislation. He has passed many policy measures into law championing the safety of Alabama’s citizens, such as the Kelsey Smith Act, that streamlines the process for law enforcement and rescuers to locate a kidnapped individual’s phone via ping. This legislation is a life-saving measure for the people of Alabama. Rep. Hanes said that he believes that ensuring student safety in our schools is a top priority and will work tirelessly to see that our children are protected.
President Donald Trump reiterated his support for allowing trained teachers have the option of arming themselves in order to fight off a potential attack.
“Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them,” President Trump tweeted on Saturday. “Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again – a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.”
Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said that the House was going to look at school security in the next couple of weeks; but said that he had concerns about liability.
