Urgent: Oppose HB 4299 – Arming Teachers and Administrators

From an alert and resources provided by Moms Demand Action: 

Please email or call your Delegates and urge them to oppose HB 4299.

       On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee advanced HB 4299, sending the bill to the full House of Delegates for a vote. HB 4299 would permit teachers in K-12 schools to be authorized to carry concealed firearms as a designated school protection officer.

       While current West Virginia law generally prohibits guns in K-12 schools, HB 4299 would allow teachers, administrators, and support staff to become designated “school protection officers” (“SPOs”) to carry hidden, loaded guns in schools. The bill would allow WV school districts to designate an unspecified number of school teachers, administrators, and/or support staff members in a WV school to serve as SPOs permitted to carry concealed firearms on school grounds.  Any teacher, administrator or support staff member could apply to be an SPO, provided they have a valid concealed carry permit and have completed a new training program designed by the WV Department of Homeland Security.  

The as-yet to be developed DHS training has no mandated minimum number of total hours but is capped at a maximum of just 24 hours of training.

Please let your Delegate know you oppose HB 4299. Find your legislators by clicking here and entering your address.

Customizable Script:

Dear Delegate ___: 

I’m writing to strongly urge you to oppose HB4299. Guns in schools don’t make us safer – especially in the hands of people who have very little training and vetting – and increase the risk of a terrible unintentional shooting or an act of gun violence.

(INSERT PERSONAL DETAILS HERE OF WHY YOU OPPOSE GUNS IN SCHOOLS – IF YOU’RE A CONSTITUENT NOTE THAT INFORMATION TOO] 

You can stop your message there or add: 

Please focus on meaningful, evidence-informed solutions to keep our kids safe, such as investing in safety upgrades to school buildings and school-based clinicians and mental health professionals, and encouraging secure storage of firearms at home, and ensuring that schools focus on threat assessment and trauma-informed emergency plans. These preventive measures are the best way to create a safe and successful learning environment for our children and their teachers.