The bill, which was called the Mississippi School Safety Act by Senators, was passed 7-4. It comes days after the massacre at Parkland High School in Parkland, Fla. where 17 were killed by an active shooter. The proposal was passed by Sen. Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg), who is the chairman of the Judiciary A Committee. Governor. Phil Bryant made the following statement. “As I shared Monday with President Trump at the White House,” Phil Bryant said in a statement. This bill is part of that effort.” The course would be required for approved firearm carriers to take it every two years. * Law enforcement officers and school officials would maintain a list of approved students who can carry guns on campus. * The courts would decide whether to convict anyone who was approved to carry weapons on campus in the case of a firearm discharge. Hopson stated that he had briefly spoken with Marshall Fisher, Public Safety Commissioner, about the implementation and details of the special training course. Hopson stated that he would be speaking more with Marshall Fisher in the coming days to discuss this. This proposal replaced an earlier House bill, which would have provided avenues for concealed carry permit holders to sue entities that deny them weapons. The Senate removed the provision on Tuesday after backlash from the Southeastern Conference, university presidents in the State. “The safety and well-being of students in school should never be under threat, but it is not an option in today’s schools,” Lt. Governor. Tate Reeves released a statement. “By allowing school staff to get proper training in how to respond to immediate threats I hope we can prevent tragedies like those we’ve seen on campus across the country and in Mississippi,” Tate Reeves said. School safety is not achieved by having more guns in schools. Joyce Helmick, president of the association, stated that it does not make schools safer. Teachers are supposed to be educators, not armed guards. Professional law enforcement should have this responsibility. They are skilledly trained for at least 12 hours. This is what the Senate Amendment currently requires for teachers. Stacey Donaldson has two children who attend a Jackson charter school as well as one at Terry High School. She was lobbying for improved public school funding on Tuesday. It was unbelievable that the Legislature would contemplate arming school personnel, while simultaneously cutting the public school budget. She stated that while it makes no sense to fund teachers with weapons, we wouldn’t be able to fund schools that provide the education children need. Contributing: R.L. Nave