Bill Text: NJ AR166 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Expresses concern about remarks of President Donald J. Trump on possible policy changes to encourage or require school teachers to be armed in classroom.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-06-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Education Committee [AR166 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-AR166-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Expresses concern about remarks of President Donald J. Trump on possible policy changes to encourage or require school teachers to be armed in classroom.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution expressing concern about the remarks of President Donald J. Trump on possible policy changes to encourage or require school teachers to be armed in the classroom.
Whereas, In the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting, which occurred on February 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and is the deadliest high school shooting in American history, President Donald J. Trump called for arming teachers and principals with guns to deter potential perpetrators of future mass shootings in schools; and
Whereas, Through a tweet shortly after the tragedy and in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Trump endorsed the idea of arming the most gun-adept teachers in the classroom, which he estimated to include between 10 and 20 percent of the teaching population. President Trump tweeted again that armed teachers could be compensated with a salary bonus; and
Whereas, While few details do not constitute a comprehensive policy proposal, this suggestion from the highest office in American government could prompt the federal government to adopt such a policy, and in fact has already resulted in several states taking steps to bring this proposal to fruition, in a time of crisis when more sensible and effective solutions to make schools safer are urgently needed; and
Whereas, Research has shown there is no evidence to suggest that any percentage of armed teachers will stop a shooter intent on causing mass violence; and
Whereas, Police officers, school resource officers, and other appropriately trained and qualified armed security personnel may be deployed, within a chain of command, to address active shooter threats. In such cases, an armed individual present at the school, operating outside of the chain of command, may create confusion and panic in an active shooter situation, and may increase the likelihood that persons other than the shooter, such as the armed teacher or students who encounter the armed teacher, may be shot; and
Whereas, The proliferation of guns on school campuses will increase the risk of lethal violence in spaces that are, for the large majority of students and classrooms, currently safe. It is almost certain that easier access to guns in schools would pose a greater overall threat to student safety than the current threat of mass shootings in schools; and
Whereas, The costs of arming an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the 3.2 million public school teachers in America would be about $250 million. Adding in a modest $500 bonus for armed teachers would give an extremely conservative cost estimate of over $650 million, or a little less than $1,000 per armed teacher annually. Depending on implementation specifics, the total cost could be two to five times that much; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House expresses concern about the remarks of President Donald J. Trump regarding the implementation of policy proposals to arm school teachers as a response to the Parkland, Florida school shooting, in a time of crisis when more effective solutions are urgently needed.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to President Donald J. Trump and United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
STATEMENT
This Assembly resolution expresses concern about the recent remarks of President Donald J. Trump on possible policy changes to encourage or require school teachers to be armed in the classroom. This proposal, if pursued, will prove to be costly, ineffective, and dangerous. The school safety crisis urgently demands sensible and effective solutions.
