Sen. John Ford addresses fellow senators on the final day of the legislative session at the state Capitol on May 25, 2012. Ford said Monday that he won't let a bill that would arm school teachers and administrators out of his committee. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World file
OKLAHOMA CITY — A controversial bill that would let schools allow some teachers and administrators to carry weapons on campus will not get a hearing in the Senate Education Committee.
The committee’s chairman, Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, said Monday that he would not give House Bill 1062, by Rep. Mark McCullough, R-Sapulpa, a hearing.
Monday was the deadline for House bills to be heard in the Senate Education Committee, Ford said.
McCullough declined to comment.
The measure passed the Oklahoma House last month by a vote of 68-22.
The bill would require any educators who carry a gun at school to have at least 120 hours of training from the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.
Ford said the Oklahoma Commission on School Safety issued a list of recommendations that did not include allowing schools to let educators carry weapons.
“Firearms in schools was one of the areas looked at, but they did not include that as a recommendation,” Ford said.
The panel was chaired by Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb. It had 22 members representing education, mental health, public safety and other areas, Ford said.
It was formed shortly after the December killings of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The commission’s recommendations include:
Forming an Oklahoma School Security Institute under the leadership of the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.
Establishing a mental health first-aid training pilot program.
Amending and changing state law to consolidate and require safety drills.
Requiring the reporting of firearms to local law enforcement.
Establishing a statewide school security tip line.
Rep. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, a member of the Senate Education Committee, said he supported Ford’s decision not to give the bill a hearing.
“I think, from my perspective, Rep. McCullough was trying to find a solution to increase public safety, but that is not a direction I think would be best served by staff and students at public schools,” Stanislawski said.
Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, a member of the Senate Education Committee and a former teacher, said he trusted Ford’s judgment.
“That is the chairman’s call,” said Jolley, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Jolley applauded the work of the Oklahoma Commission on School Safety.
“I think we need to be very cautions about what we do regarding putting more weapons in schools,” Jolley said.
Ford said he didn’t think the measure would be assigned to another Senate committee.
Gun Debate
A former Australian government leader has blamed the gun culture in the United States for the shooting death of an Australian baseball player in Oklahoma and condemned America's lax firearm controls as a corruptive influence around the world.
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