Michigan lawmakers considering bill to arm teachers

Michigan lawmakers are considering several gun-related measures following a deadly shooting at a Florida high school, including arming teachers and confiscating guns from those with mental illnesses. 

One bill would permit teachers and staff to carry firearms, the Detroit Free Press reported. 

President Trump has been strongly calling for arming teachers and said that if a teacher inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., was armed the gunman would have never attempted the mass shooting that left 17 dead.

{mosads}”He would never have run into the building if he thought bullets were going to come flying back into him,” Trump said last month. 

In Michigan, a proposed bill would make school security officers exempt from “gun-free” zone restrictions in schools if they were specially trained, the Free Press reported on Tuesday.  

Teachers could volunteer for 80 hours of training on firing a gun and engaging an active shooter to de-escalate a dangerous situation. 

The guns would be locked up in a undisclosed location and the rest of the school would remain a “gun-free” zone. 

Trump has also criticized “gun-free” school zones.

“If they go into a school, a gun-free zone is like target practice for these guys. They see that and that’s what they want. Gun-free zones are very dangerous. The bad guys love gun-free zones,” Trump said.

Hearings will be scheduled on the legislative proposal throughout the spring for a bill being drafted by Republican state Rep. Jim Runestad. 

The Republican-controlled Michigan legislature is also considering a “red flag” bill, which would allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate guns from people with potentially dangerous symptoms of mental illness. 

Gov. Rick Snyder (R) has expressed support for gun control bills focusing on mental health issues.