Indiana State Senate Sends Teacher Firearms Training Bill to Governor’s Desk

By: José Niño

On April 26, 2023, the Indiana State Senate passed a bill that would establish a state-funded handgun training program for teachers. This bill, which the Senate passed by a 41-8 margin, is now on the desk of Gov. Eric Holcomb (R-IN).

Curiously, this legislation received opposition on previous occasions from both Second Amendment proponents, who believe that state-based training mandates would undermine local governance, and anti-gunners, who believe that such legislation would increase the amounts of firearms present at schools to alarming levels.

The training proposed in this legislation would be voluntary in nature, and the state would be paying for it. Currently, state law grants school districts the power to allow teachers to be armed. However, there is no mandatory training.

In addition, this legislation would allow schools to receive funding should a school shooting occur in order “to cover the costs of counseling” for students, teachers, and other school staff.

In recent years, Indiana has moved in a pro-gun direction. For example, Indiana passed Constitutional Carry in 2022, allowing all lawful residents 18 years and older to carry a handgun in public without obtaining a permit. Constitutional Carry has been the most successful pro-gun reform of the last three decades, with nearly all Republican states embracing this legislation.

As a result of passing Constitutional Carry, Indiana has moved up the ranks of certain pro-gun indices such as Guns & Ammo best states for gun owners’ rankings, where it was recently ranked in 15^th place.

In light of the Covenant School mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, an increasing portion of Republican states are embracing reforms that bolster school security. Some of these measures include having armed staff on campus.

Gun-free zone policies in the United States have clearly failed and have effectively turned schools into pro-criminal safe spaces that allow for deranged murders to rack up nasty kill counts. At the end of the day, armed lawful individuals are still the best first responders against would be violent criminals.

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.