Teachers banned from carrying guns at schools in New York
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill into law that bans teachers from carrying guns on school grounds. The move comes a year after President Donald Trump suggested the idea of arming school staff with guns.
The bill signed Wednesday prevents school districts from arming staff who are not school resource officers, law enforcement officers or security guards. "The answer to the gun violence epidemic plaguing this country has never been and never will be more guns, and today we're expanding New York's nation-leading gun safety laws to further protect our children," Cuomo said.
Cuomo also wants state police to establish regulations to bolster existing gun buyback programs and create new ones for removing "illegal, unsecured, abandoned or unwanted firearms."
"Arming teachers with guns can only lead to additional tragedies," said Judy Griffin, a Democratic assembly member who sponsored the bill. "While we will always remember the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, this legislation ensures that teachers will never have the burden of choosing between protecting their students or themselves from a violent shooter."
Mr. Trump pushed for arming trained school staff members with guns in the wake of major school shootings, such as the one in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018 that left 17 people dead. Despite the possibility of federal funding for it, both Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy came out against the idea, CBS New York reports.
According to a CBS News poll from earlier this year, a majority of Americans did not support arming more teachers or school officials; 44% favored it. A different survey taken weeks after the Parkland attack showed more Americans felt it would lead to violence than prevent it.
