McAuliffe: These Cops Aren’t Trained Enough To Tote Guns Around Kids
By Bob Owens
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is going to catch some heat for for vetoing of a bill that would allow school security officers to carry guns on campus.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have allowed school security officers to carry firearms on school property under certain conditions.
“This bill would expose schools and students to unnecessary risk and potential harm by allowing individuals without adequate training to carry firearms on school grounds,” the governor said in a statement accompanying his veto of House Bill 1234.
The legislation, sponsored by Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, would have allowed private school security guards who are retired law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school grounds – the same privilege currently afforded to school resource officers, who are employees of a local law enforcement agency and assigned to public schools in some school systems.
McAuliffe’s statement on the veto drew a distinction between the two types of officers, noting that school resource officers “receive significant and ongoing training. School security officers, on the other hand, are civilian employees of a school division who do not receive training regarding firearms or the appropriate use of force with juveniles,” McAuliffe stated.
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