(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.