Concealed Carry in Schools Bill Gets Do Pass Recommendation

February 21, 2017 T. Arthur Mason Education, North Dakota

Rep. Dwight Kiefert’s (R-District 24) House Bill 1310 has come out of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee with a 10-2 Do Pass recommendation. If passed, this bill would allow school district’s to set their own policy for allowing Class 1 Concealed Carry Permit holders to carry in schools.

The bill has it’s own catch built into it. That being that individuals allowed by the school board to carry would have to complete an intensive First Responder course designed to prepare for school emergencies, lockdowns, and active killer events with an annual recertification requirement.

As a result of an amendment in committee, the bill will go forward with a cap of ten schools state-wide that would be permitted to participate. This is certainly an odd amendment, as it limits the number of schools that can take this measure to provide this added protection for their students.

It appears that the committee wanted to move forward in this manner as a compromise of sorts with the hopes of having experience and feedback at a later legislative session as to how well it is working for participating schools. While this is far from perfect, I suppose it is better than nothing at all.

Hopefully the time will come in which more politicians will recognize that concealed carry is an effective means of protecting our students, and that as it currently stands there is little that can be done to protect them in the case of an active shooter situation.

Source:
1. http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/gun-legislation-gets-thumbs-up-in-committee/article_920db810-a01a-5cd1-b77f-8fc884847c91.html

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About T. Arthur Mason 883 Articles
T. Arthur Mason is a native North Dakotan who has spent nearly all of his life in the Peace Garden State. As the third of four children in Western North Dakota, Mason grew to appreciate family and the outdoors. Some of his fondest memories are annual deer hunts with family and friends. In his early teenage years, faith became a central part of T. Arthur Mason's life. He and the majority of his family attend church together on a weekly basis and find this a fulfilling aspect of their lives. Through the influence of his father, T. Arthur Mason became intrigued with politics. As a boy, he attended political events with his father and enjoyed the friendships that resulted as a byproduct of those political associations. As Mason grew older, he became convinced that the quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson was true, "That government is best which governs least." Today, T. Arthur Mason enjoys time with his wife and children, an occasional hunt, and an increasingly active life on the political scene. This blog is the fulfillment of a dream to design a web site in the realm of politics and to advocate for the principles of Liberty and constitutionally limited government. On behalf of all those that contribute to The Minuteman, we hope you enjoy your time on the site and will share the message with others.

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