Meeting Public Comments

John McLaughlin [Iowa Firearms Coalition]

Kevin Hendress []

I support the intent of this bill, with some adjustments. We need to make it so that in ANY school staff is allowed to carry after they go through a training program. We all know good guys stop threats.

john mclaughlin [IFC]

Active Shooter researcher Ed Monk has spent 16 years studying this issue. I have included four slides from his presentation to schools. Please make sure every concerned party is aware of actual facts in this information based on nearly forty years of failure in our schools. Time and Math do not lie. Beliefs and emotions can lead us to arrive at conclusions that cost lives.

Dillon Daughenbaugh []

School staff are more than capable of being trained and armed efficiently enough to effectively stop a threat. Staff care about students and often sacrifice themselves to protect student. The Perry Principal is an example. He would still be alive if the insurance companies wouldn't hold children hostage, and he were carrying. We don't need and can't afford SROs in every school. We can arm 5+ staff in every school without hardly increasing budget. The law already allows staff to be armed. Put a cap on the insurance companies.

James Vanveldhuizen []

I support this bill, however there needs to be a change to address training. Anyone carrying in school needs to attend a yearly training course including a qualification. Staff should then be required to take more advanced training on a yearly basis including a qualification to continue growing their skill and adopt any new methods that have been developed. Proficient staff carrying will be successful if training is applied and everyone is held to a high standard.

Miles Murphy []

Pressuring insurance companies to stop prohibiting lawful behavior in our schools by allowing staff to go armed is paramount. We in Iowa have made it clear, going armed as an individual is a key component to the personal safety of ourselves and those we defend. Schools struggle today to balance budgets, prioritize spending, and provide all the necessary services to the community; adding an additional expense of SROs to the school staff isn't the right option here. SROs are great, but can't be everywhere all at once. By allowing willing and trained members of the school staff to go armed is the only way to stop a lethal threat as quickly as possible. We should take this further and pass legislation to prohibit insurance companies from providing policies in the State of Iowa if they do not allow schools to leverage the capabilities allowed to them by law for securing their campus.

Matt Zurmuehlen [Private Citizen]

As a parent of public education students and spouse of an educator this bill is one that is long overdue in Iowa. I have approached, in the past, the school boards of my children's school and the districts my wife has taught at to discuss what the school, parents, and others can do to improve school security. In my research, while there are many tools and practices that can be implemented to increase the security of our educational facilities and decrease the efforts of an active shooter the one tool that is most affordable and effective is arming "willing" school staff. As the research performed by Ed Monk shows, and that common sense would tell us, the sooner an active threat can be stopped the better the outcome. As the old adage goes "when seconds count the police are minutes away". What better way to cut down on the time a killer is allowed to commit there crime than by having someone already on scene, who knows the building, has a vested relationship with those in the building, and can act in seconds. While not having active shooters in schools would be ideal we must face the truth that evil can and will find a way and we must be prepared to face that evil when, not if, the time comes. I would like to see this legislation apply to anyone in a school building with any sort of educator license issued by the state not just that districts staff.I know Iowa Firearms Coalition is already taking a proactive approach to staff training and making Iowa schools safer by working with lawmakers. I hope Iowa legislators will lean on their advice and expertise and work together to make safer schools in Iowa a reality as well as an example to other states looking to do the same.

Dan Tinklenberg []

As a teacher and parent I strongly support this bill. We must provide the best security for our students. In the unfortunate event of a school shooter we send dozens of officers in response. Yet we leave the school unprotected at all other times. It only makes sense to train and arm multiple individuals within the building to eliminate the response time.

Sandi Winton []

I support this bill. If you want to keep injury and death to adults and children to as few as possible, the response MUST be 30 seconds or less. If you wait for the police to respond, the count will be so much higher. That's not a republican vs democrat talking point, it's just a fact. If your child or grandchild happens to be in the school that is the next target, do you want the bad guy stopped sooner or later? You want common sense gun laws? Well this is it. Please vote to pass this bill. Our children lives are depending on some common sense.

Aneitah Garmann []

I think this is a nobrainer. If a shooter knows that schools are no longer gunfree zones, they will think twice about walking into a potential gun fight. Arm the willing staff that want to get trained!!

Sam Schieuer [Schiwerks]

In favor of this bill. Sick and tired of seeing our politicians and banks protected by firearms, but we insist on protecting our children with words. Trained and equipped teachers and administrators, who actually care about our children, are the best option to stop evil people from committing violence on our most vulnerable citizens.

teri patrick []

I support HSB675. School safety is a top priority and our children should be protected and have people on site to protect school security and/or individuals who have been trained. I would also recommend all who want to understand more about school safety in schools and policies in schools read the book 'Why Meadow Died" by Andrew Pollack and Max Eden.