Iowa Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott voices her concern about House File 2586 giving qualified immunity to school employees to carry weapons.

The bill passed the Senate last week and allows school employees to be issued professional permits in order to carry weapons. The immunity stated in the bill means that employees couldn’t be held accountable in a situation where “reasonable force” is used. Trone-Garriott thinks that this will put people in risky situations if they are not put through the proper training. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the sponsors of the bill couldn’t offer details about the training.

“The sponsors of the bill could not specify what practices, what strategies would be part of the training. They really didn’t know and they didn’t know what a lot of the specific tactics and strategies law enforcement use. They just didn’t know what those terms were, they weren’t familiar with any of it. It’s people that don’t know what they’re doing, making laws without talking to the folks who provide for our public safety. Our law enforcement officers.”

Trone-Garriott mentions the immunity clause is part of the bill because the sponsors understand that there is a possibility that someone could be hurt. She raises concerns about how minimal the training requirements are in the bill.