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Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Statements on Committee Passage of Dangerous Bill to Incentivize Arming Teachers

1.29.2020

INDIANAPOLIS — Volunteers with the Indiana chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today testified in the Senate Education and Career Development Committee against a dangerous bill that would encourage more guns in Indiana schools and incentivize arming teachers. The bill passed committee and heads to the Senate floor.

“As a mom with young children, this is personal to me,” said Jennifer Hann, volunteer with Indiana Moms Demand Action. “Research shows allowing guns into classrooms would make our schools more dangerous and put our children at greater risk of experiencing gun violence. I urge the Senate to reject this dangerous bill for the sake of our children.”

 “The Senate should vote down this risky legislation and focus on common-sense policies that are proven to prevent gun violence,”said Charlotte Siena, a volunteer with the Bloomington Chapter of Students Demand Action. “Today, we faced question after question about how to keep kids safe in school. But as one of the students who will be directly affected by this kind of legislation, I can tell you arming my teachers wouldn’t make me feel safer — it’d make me feel scared.”

Research shows that arming our teachers doesn’t make children safer or prevent gun violence in schools. On the contrary, it increases the chances that a teachers’ gun will get into the wrong hands, or that a gun will discharge unintentionally and wound a student.

Research also shows that children will access guns when guns are present. There have already been numerous incidents where guns carried into schools were misplaced — guns left in bathrooms, locker rooms, and sporting events. There are also multiple incidents where guns were stolen from teachers by students, or cases where guns were misplaced and later found in the hands of students. Instead of trying to put more guns into more schools, Indiana lawmakers should be focused on passing common-sense gun safety bills that are proven to prevent gun violence.