North Dakota Moms Demand Action, Everytown Respond After North Dakota Senate Committee Recommends Passage of Three Dangerous Bills That Would Weaken State Gun Laws

BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after the North Dakota Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recommended passage three dangerous bills, which now head to the Senate floor for a vote:

• HB 1332 — legislation that would allow schools to arm teachers and other school staff.
• HB 1206 — legislation that would allow more people to carry loaded handguns in K-12 schools, college buildings, and sporting events.
• HB 1163 — legislation that would make it easy to carry loaded handguns in sensitive areas, including bars, schools, athletic/sporting events, and publicly owned/operated buildings, by reducing the penalty for doing so from a misdemeanor to a mere “infraction.”

“These bills don’t speak for the interests of responsible North Dakotans,” said Cheryl Biller, volunteer chapter leader with the North Dakota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “There is no evidence that adding more guns to sensitive places, like our schools and sporting events, will do anything to stop gun violence in our state. I implore our lawmakers to see sense and reject this bill in the Senate. ”

More information about the risks of arming teachers can be found here.

Additionally, proven strategies for improving school safety can be found in a recent report from Everytown, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.