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Under the Gun: West Virginia Senate passes bill allowing armed ‘guardians’ at schools

State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Eric Tarr believes allowing public schools to contract with military veterans and retired law enforcement will help keep schools safe. (WV Legislative Photography)

CHARLESTON — A bill allowing former military and law enforcement officers to provide in-school security passed the West Virginia Senate on Monday.

Senate Bill 282 creating the West Virginia Guardian Program passed 32-0. The bill next heads to the House of Delegates.

SB 282 would allow county school boards to contract with honorably discharged veterans and former and retired county, state and federal law enforcement officers for public safety and security on public school grounds and buildings.

A guardian would be empowered to stop violence, bullying, theft, substance abuse, the sale or use of illegal substances, weapons on campus and other threats on school grounds. The bill doesn’t give guardians the power to arrest students, parents or staff.

The bill also would allow guardians to carry concealed weapons on school grounds. The applicant would have to show proof of concealed carry permit and their training in firearms and less-than-lethal use of force, their honorable military discharge and former law enforcement experience. They would also have to submit the results of a physical exam, psychiatric evaluation, and drug screening.

The bill’s lead sponsor is Senate Finance Committee Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam. He said the idea came to him from two Special Forces veterans in Winfield.

“They were wanting to construct a mechanism, by which men who were trained professionals to run at a gun, could be at our schools with a gun … should there be an instance in our schools where our children or teachers or anybody else in the building is unsafe because of someone bringing a gun in there illegally with malcontent,” Tarr said.

The bill doesn’t require county school boards to set up a guardians program and the counties that do are freed from liability issues for incidents that involve guardians. Tarr said the bill could become a national example.

“We have an opportunity here I think to make a national attempt that maybe starts a little bit of a wave here of this being an example of where you can have safe schools,” Tarr said. “You’re bringing the people whose profession it is to run at a gun when everyone else is running the other way to be in these schools … I think it is a huge step in a direction we need to go. I hope there’s a lot of counties that adopt it.”

HB 282 is the second bill moving this session to allow firearms in public schools for protection. House Bill 2549, allowing public school teachers to carry concealed weapons at school, is pending in the House Judiciary Committee after being recommended for passage last week by the House Education Committee.

HB 2549 would allow school districts to designate one or more elementary, middle, or high school teachers, administrators, or school service personnel as school protection officers. Those teachers and administrators would be authorized to carry concealed firearms or taser and stun guns.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 30 states allow firearms in schools with various limitations.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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