The bill passed easily with six Republicans joining all 12 Democrats in opposing it.
“It’s a Second Amendment issue and for me, the Second Amendment Right doesn’t stop at the door of a school,” said Rep Chad Christensen (R-Iona), who sponsors the bill. “It just doesn’t.”
Proponents say more guns in schools could help prevent a mass shooting.
Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger (R-Lewiston), an Army veteran and occasional substitute teacher, said he’d potentially be able to respond to a shooting faster than a school resource officer.
“If I’m not the first one to go down, I can react properly and professionally as the situation warrants,” von Ehlinger said.