HOUSTON, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Oklahoma on Wednesday approved a bill that allows teachers who undergo reserve officer training to carry weapons into classrooms.
The Oklahoma House Public Safety Committee voted 8-3 to approve the bill, which now heads to the full House for a vote, despite objections from school officials and concerns about the potential liability of bringing weapons into schools, NewsOk.com., a local news website, reported.
The bill by Representative Mark McCullough gives individual school districts the option of allowing school teachers or administrators to attend a basic police course academy for reserve deputies. The basic course provides about 240 hours of training on firearms, legal issues, traffic and custody of prisoners, according to the report.
The bill would require individual school boards to approve the practice and be responsible for adopting policies regarding the carrying of weapons.
Oklahoma legislators introduced dozens of measures to expand gun rights in the wake of the December attack in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooting aroused concerns over school safety and ignited debates about greater gun control. U.S. President Barack Obama in January initiated 23 executive actions designed to help combat gun violence.
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