Senate Committee Passes Controversial Knives on School Grounds Bill

“There have been three people in my district in Cobb County, or near my district in Cobb County, young people, who have run afoul of the law with felony treatment merely for having what we consider utility knives, pocket knives and those kinds of objects in their cars on school campus.”

Setzler says his bill would change that by leaving the decision about how to deal with students who bring knives or other dangerous objects on school grounds up to local school boards. But Setzler and Democrats disagreed over language in the bill that would allow any person authorized by a school, school board or postsecondary institution to possess a gun. And even though similar language is contained in House bill 875, a larger gun bill, which has received House but not Senate approval at this point, Setzler says school boards already have that power.

“That’s one of the paper tigers, I’ll be so bold as to say in 875, there’s been some hullabaloo over there about empowering school officials to carry firearms. That ability already exists with school boards.”

But Democratic Senate Minority Whip Vincent Fort disagrees.

“From what I understand that passage has been used, but it has  been used out of context. That was intended as a temporary thing for use people bringing an artifact for show-and-tell rather than authorizing a school counselor to have a 9 mm in their purse in their office.”

Fort says the bill is another attempt by Republicans to give school boards the ability to arm school administrators and other employees. Despite the objections of Democrats, the committee approved the bill 6 to 3 along party lines. The legislation now moves to the full Senate.