Idaho lawmaker says schools are ‘soft target’ as GOP tries once more to arm teachers

Public school teachers in Idaho would be allowed to carry concealed weapons in the classroom and act as an “armed protection force” against mass shootings under a bill proposed Tuesday. 

“What is it with schools?” bill sponsor Rep. Ted Hill, R-Eagle, told a House committee. “Is it, (attackers) hate children? Or is it a soft target? I think the reality is, it’s a soft target.”

A similar bill Hill introduced last year died when it failed to receive enough support from the Republican-controlled Senate to become law. He aims to get the revised bill to Gov. Brad Little’s desk on a repeat attempt. 

Hill asserted that highways in Texas exemplify the way that the presence of guns can inspire good behavior. Motorists there don’t see a lot of middle fingers, he said Tuesday. 

“You don’t flip people off in Texas. Why?” Hill said. “Because everybody’s armed. If people think you’re armed, it makes a difference. People are polite.” 

That notion also could apply to Idaho schools, he said. Schools have for too long had insufficient security, Hill said, and arming teachers and other employees on school grounds would help to deter the possibility of a mass shooting.

The push to pass such a law in Idaho dates to at least 2019. Last year, some lawmakers raised concerns about Hill’s bill, questioning the training armed public school employees would receive to carry firearms.

This year’s bill “closed the gap” for those concerns, Hill said. It would require public school employees who want to carry concealed weapons to take at least an “enhanced” concealed weapons training course or a Police Officer Standards Training, the same one used to certify police across the state, Hill said. 

The bill also would allow school boards to determine the level of training required for these individuals — though they could not deny anyone’s right to carry a weapon on campus if they completed that training. 

The House State Affairs Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to introduce the bill for a future public hearing.