Ohio Reduces Training Time Required for Teachers to Carry Guns From 700 Hours to 24

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a bill into law on Monday that lowered the training time required for teachers and other school staff looking to carry guns from about 700 hours to 24.

The 24 hours of training consists of four hours of scenario-based training exercises as well as a maximum of 20 hours for first-aid training as well as taking courses on the history of school shootings and reunification education. DeWine said that the notion of arming teachers is an optional choice for school districts and that he prefers them to hire armed school resource officers. This move marks the second major gun bill that the Ohio governor has signed in response to the recent uptick of school shootings across the nation. The first, which terminates the requirement that citizens need a license to carry a concealed handgun, went into effect on Monday.

Left-rated outlets were more likely to note the “irony” of approving this relaxed gun law while “implicitly targeting critical race theory.” The New York Times (Lean Left bias) linked to a Gallup poll that found the majority of Americans oppose the idea of arming teachers. Conversely, right-rated outlets praised the measure for making it easier for educators to protect their students in future mass shootings.