Quo Vadis GOP?

[The Larch]

More nutty stuff from Ohio:

Ohio Gov. DeWine signs a bill arming teachers after 24 hours of training

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill on Monday allowing teachers to carry guns in class after 24 hours of training, over opposition from teachers and a police group. Backers say the policy will make schools safer, but critics say that's not the case, citing experts' analysis.

The new law dramatically reduces the amount of training a teacher must undergo before they can carry a gun in a school safety zone. Instead of more than 700 hours of training that's currently required, school staff who want to be armed would get training that "shall not exceed" 24 hours, House Bill 99 states.

"DeWine, who had campaigned for gun restrictions after the mass shooting in Dayton in 2019, said signing this bill is part of an overall plan to harden school security," according to the Statehouse News Bureau.

A contested approach gets Ohio's legal backing
The legislation is similar to a controversial policy adopted by a school district in Madison Township, Ohio, in 2018 to make it easier for staff to carry guns. A group of local parents sued, saying teachers should have peace officer training before they can bring a gun to work.

The Ohio Supreme Court sided with the parents last summer. But now the 24-hour requirement is becoming state law.

The new law's backers include state Sen. Frank Hoagland, who calls it "a common-sense, proactive step in securing our schools from the threat of an active shooter."

Of the few people who testified in favor of the bill in the last hearing on the legislation, one was the CEO of S.T.A.R.T, a company Hoagland founded to advise schools and other entities on security and crisis preparation, as the Ohio Capital Journal notes.

In more than a year of debate on the legislation, witnesses spoke to oppose it more than 360 times, while around 20 people spoke in favor.

DeWine says the law will give schools an option
Both the Ohio Federation of Teachers and Ohio Education Association had urged DeWine to veto the bill, saying it is "dangerous and irresponsible" to put more guns in schools in the hands of people who aren't adequately trained.

"House Bill 99 will make Ohio's students less safe in their schools," the organizations said in a joint statement.

Its opponents also include Moms Demand Action and the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio.

The FOP's Mike Weinman testified relaxing Ohio's regulations would create a jumble of school district requirements and result in inadequately trained teachers who will then confront a confusion of roles.

When armed, a teacher's first responsibility is to act as a first responder, Weinman said: "She will be required to abandon her students and respond to whatever threat may be in the building at a moment's notice."

But the governor had previously signaled his support for the bill, and he confirmed it in an interview on Sunday with local TV station WFMJ.

"No school has to do this. This is up to a local school board," DeWine said, adding that some schools might have security officers or other plans to deter or counter an active shooter scenario.

"The best thing is to have a police officer in the schools," he said. "They can be plain clothes, but some schools may not be able to do that."

Studies and experts say it's not a good idea to arm teachers
One longtime researcher of school shootings recently told NPR that he has found that arming teachers isn't a good strategy "because it invites numerous disasters and problems, and the chances of it actually helping are so minuscule."

In 2020, an analysis by RAND concluded that there were "no qualifying studies" on whether arming staff in K–12 schools causes or prevents a range of negative outcomes, including deaths or injuries from accidental shootings to suicides, crime and mass shootings.

But the RAND analysis also said that in the decades since two federal laws on gun-free schools were adopted in the early 1990s, it's become much less likely that a student will carry a weapon, be it a gun or a knife.

"In 1993, 12 percent of students reported carrying a weapon on school property during the previous 30 days," RAND stated, adding, "in 2017, only 4 percent of students reported bringing a weapon to school."

The analysis also noted that despite the terrible tragedy of school shootings, "most students killed with firearms are shot in their own homes, typically because of a domestic dispute, accidental or negligent discharge of a gun, or suicide."

States' laws on guns in schools differ vastly
At least three U.S. states — Alabama, Oregon and Utah — let anyone with a concealed-carry permit bring a gun into a K–12 school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

It's part of a patchwork of policies about guns on campus, with varying levels of training and licensing requirements. All but a handful of states allow law enforcement to bring guns onto school grounds. But from there, the laws diverge.

In at least 18 states, school authorities can allow anyone they choose to carry a gun on campus in some cases, according to the NCSL.

[alfred russel]

There was a house special election yesterday in an 80% hispanic district -- the second most hispanic in the country. The republican won by 8 points.

https://news.yahoo.com/republican-mayra-flores-flips-dem-032809755.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall

[Zoupa]

She's also a Q-Anon supporter. And Elon Musk voted for her.

Large parts of the US are simply gone, aren't they. What a cesspool.

[alfred russel]

She's also a Q-Anon supporter. And Elon Musk voted for her.

Large parts of the US are simply gone, aren't they. What a cesspool.

The district had never elected a republican until yesterday and voted for obama and clinton by over 20%. Not sure it is a reason to talk about parts of the US being "simply gone".

[Zoupa]

Doesn't your first sentence contradict your second?

[Eddie Teach]

Doesn't your first sentence contradict your second?

You're going to have to explain what you mean by "simply gone". Clearly it is still a district where Democrats *can* win.

[Tamas]

You Americans get so defensive when somebody from the outside points something negative out. 

[HisMajestyBOB]

You Americans get so defensive when somebody from the outside points something negative out. 

Rather than saying half our major political parties are authoritarians seeking the installation of a theocratic dictatorship, you could say that half of them are dedicated to democracy and rule of law.
You know, focus on the positive, the glass half full kind of thing. 

[alfred russel]

 

Doesn't your first sentence contradict your second?

No.

[Berkut]

You Americans get so defensive when somebody from the outside points something negative out. 

Are you really chuckling about *Americans* getting defensive over *Zoupa* calling the country a cesspool?

That is...hilarious. I don't recall you ever once going after him after one of his 400 nationalistic rants about France....

[Zoupa]

You're going to have to explain what you mean by "simply gone".

Irredeemable. Gone off the deep end. Crazy.

If smack in the middle of the Jan 6 inquiries/media cycle, people decide to vote for a Q-Anon loony, then I think that kinda qualifies as a cesspool.

Either they embrace the "JFK Jr is coming back", they didn't care enough to do some basic research prior to voting or they didn't vote at all. None of these options are positive indicators.

[The Minsky Moment]

Zoupa we just don't understand why you hate JFK Jr so much that you want him to stay dead.

Have a heart.

[Barrister]

You're going to have to explain what you mean by "simply gone".

Irredeemable. Gone off the deep end. Crazy.

If smack in the middle of the Jan 6 inquiries/media cycle, people decide to vote for a Q-Anon loony, then I think that kinda qualifies as a cesspool.

Either they embrace the "JFK Jr is coming back", they didn't care enough to do some basic research prior to voting or they didn't vote at all. None of these options are positive indicators.

Zoupa, I don't want to deny that a significant minority of the US population has embraced the crazy.  One third of Americans believe Trump lost due to voter fraud as a key example.  This is Not Good, to put it mildly.

But it's not a majority of americans.  So to try and figure out why a pro-Trump republican won in an 80% Latino district in south Texas requires more explanation than just that.

[The Minsky Moment]

One-third embracing full batshit is pretty bad.  Especially when there is another 10-15% willing to pander or ignore that to get what they want politically.

[Jacob]

One-third embracing full batshit is pretty bad.  Especially when there is another 10-15% willing to pander or ignore that to get what they want politically.

Especially when another 1/3 to 1/2 are apathetica and/or supressed and don't participate significantly in the democratic process.