Ohio to purchase 'shoot houses' for public school teachers' firearms training

Ohio to purchase ‘shoot houses’ for teachers’ firearms training

Ohio approves $78,000 request to buy two 'shoot houses'
They are mobile homes designed for armed staff indoor firearms training
Shoot houses may be added to teacher firearm training by summer

Updated: Apr 9, 2024 / 01:30 PM CDT

Scott (last name not given), who works for a northeastern Colorado school district, fires his gun from a protected position during the FASTER Level 2 two day firearms course at Flatrock Training Center in Commerce City, Colorado on August 11, 2019. – FASTER Colorado has been sponsoring firearms training to Colorado teachers and administrators since 2017. Over 200 Colorado teachers and administrators have participated in the course. Colorado is one of approximately 32 states that allow firearms within school limits, and an estimated 34 school districts in Colorado allow teachers and administrators to carry concealed firearms. (Photo by Jason Connolly / AFP) (Photo by JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — Ohio will become the first state to acquire mobile homes for indoor training to assist armed employees in responding to active shooter situations, The Guardian reports.

The Ohio Controlling Board approved a request for $78,028 to buy two “shoot houses,” according to the publication.

“The more realistic we can make the training, the better prepared armed school staff will be to respond to an active shooter,” Jay Carey, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, told The Guardian.

Carey added that shoot houses may be integrated into teacher firearm training by summer.

Following the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, Ohio Republicans lifted restrictions on school staff carrying firearms while on duty, per The Guardian.

Under the law, school personnel, previously required to undergo 700 hours of firearms training, can now carry guns at school after completing 24 hours of instruction, subject to approval from the local school board, according to the newspaper.

“We don’t believe that our members should be asked to serve a dual role as both an educator and a security officer,” Jeff Wensing, vice president of the Ohio Education Association, told The Guardian.

According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, 67 school districts have authorized staff members to carry firearms.