On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, Buckeye Firearms Association presented testimony in the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee supporting HB 99 to expressly exempt persons authorized to go armed within a school safety zone from a requirement to complete extensive peace officer basic training and return authority over security to local school boards.

The bill was amended to include annual criminal background checks for those carrying firearms in schools and also amended to incorporate Senate Bill 168, which creates a mobile training program. Members voted on party lines to pass the bill out of committee 4-2.

This was the second hearing for this legislation, sponsored by State Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.). There were many opponents to the bill testifying, most of whom appeared to oppose guns in schools even in the hands of trained personnel, or wanted severe gun control in place instead, such as AR-15 bans.

On this Lawyer Talk Roundtable, we talk with Jim Irvine from Buckey Firearms Foundation about this, and the Faster Saves Lives program.