Attorney General Candidates Take Different Paths On Guns And School Safety

WOSU | Andy Chow

Politicians and advocates have been sounding off nationwide about what the country should do about gun control policies in the wake of the mass school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida.

Some same conversations are happening right here in Ohio from Gov. John Kasich calling for common sense changes to lawmakers proposing bans. The talk about guns and school safety is starting to impact a big statewide race.

The two candidates running for Ohio Attorney General are laying out what they would do to help keep kids safe. But it’s clear they have very different approaches to the issue.

Yost’s View

Republican Auditor Dave Yost unveiled his School Entry Control and Urgent Response program – nicknamed SECUR.

“We need to protect our kids at school just as well as we protect our politicians at work,” Yost said.

His plan would:

  • Perform a statewide inventory of the security measures in place for all 5,200 school buildings.
  • Use a state bond to fund modifications so school buildings can meet the minimum security standards, such as single point entry, electronic zoned locking systems and video cameras
  • Create an in-depth training program for teachers and school staff who would like to carry a firearm in school. But, it would be voluntary and only for people who are former law enforcement or veterans.

“Those people are useful backups, those people, many of them are asking for the ability to be able to step into the gap while they’re waiting for the officers to arrive,” Yost said.

Yost says this plan, especially the bond, will make sure no school is left more susceptible to an attack, despite their financial circumstance.

“Just because a school district might not have the money or they’ve got older buildings that are more difficult to deal with, those kids shouldn’t be at any more risk than kids in a rich district,” Yost said.

Read the full story here.

Get Involved!