School safety package is rushed, needs significant fixes
"...first and foremost, it does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and those who shouldn't legally have them."
MADISON – Today, the Assembly Committee on Education held a public hearing on six bills being rushed through the legislative process with the stated intention of improving school safety. Representative David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement:
“There are several issues with this legislative package– first and foremost, it does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and those who shouldn’t legally have them. Any effort to keep kids safe from shooters should include universal background checks and other safety measures with overwhelming public support but Republicans unanimously voted against it.
“The $100 million spent in this rushed legislation is offered to schools through a grant program at the leisure of the Attorney General, who has publicly expressed support for the misguided policy of training teachers to be armed with guns. The Attorney General would have the ability to reject a district’s proposal at his department’s discretion, including based on whether or not that school’s plan includes arming teachers.
“Instead of leaving the safety of our schools up to the extreme policy preferences of the Attorney General, funding should be provided directly to schools to improve the safety. School districts know what their needs are, and creating more partisan red tape is the wrong direction for Wisconsin at a critical time.
“Let’s adequately fund our schools and allow districts to create their own individualized safety plans with students at the table.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Gun Violence
- Senator Agard Introduces Firearm Safety Bills with Legislative Democratic Colleagues - State Sen. Melissa Agard, Senate Democratic Leader - Oct 26th, 2023
- AG Kaul to U.S. Attorney General Garland: Firearm Regulations Must Include Ghost Guns - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Aug 20th, 2021
- Op Ed: Legal Firearms Used in Many Mass Shootings - O. Ricardo Pimentel - May 26th, 2021
- Bipartisan legislation a positive step forward for gun reform - Mayor Cavalier Johnson - May 17th, 2021
- Bipartisan Bill Bans Guns For Those Convicted of Domestic Violence - Erik Gunn - May 14th, 2021
- Club Midtown isn’t a thing - Mayor Cavalier Johnson - May 5th, 2021
- County Executive David Crowley Statement on Recent Acts of Gun Violence - County Executive David Crowley - May 4th, 2021
- Republicans Continue to Show their True Colors with Upcoming Budget Plans: The Time for Action is Now - State Sen. Melissa Agard, Senate Democratic Leader - May 3rd, 2021
- Continued gun violence underscores the need for change - Mayor Cavalier Johnson - May 3rd, 2021
- Senator Agard: Statement on Shooting Tragedy at the Oneida Casino Complex - State Sen. Melissa Agard, Senate Democratic Leader - May 2nd, 2021
Read more about Gun Violence here
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Seriously, why don’t you do a 100% anonymous survey and ask the MPS teachers what they’re afraid of and what can be done to stop it. Metal detectors would be a great start. The kids walk through, and if a 3rd grader thinks it’ll be a fun idea to bring a gun to school, it can be taken away at the beginning of the day. This isn’t rocket science. Honestly, there are plenty of MPS teachers in fear of what the kids are bringing to school. I’m not saying an elementary school student is likely to open fire on the school, but I am saying that it’s not a surprise when a little kid comes in with a gun in his/her backpack. I really don’t care if the gun was obtained legally or not. The objective is to get it out of the hands of a child. While we’re at it, why don’t we have proper security in some of the dangerous elementary schools on the NW side? Sure, it’s lovely to see the MPS Central Office security personnel dressed and pressed in their suits with all the fancy cameras to scan IDs upon entry, but what about the schools where danger is an imminent threat? There isn’t any security, the kids run up and down the halls out of control, the teachers can’t do anything for fear of retaliation, and unethical principals allow this garbage to take place as a means to avoid making themselves look bad. THAT’S the truth. Why don’t you “representatives” look into the violence against MPS teachers? Start there. Show me how this “oh so powerful and respected” Union is protecting these teachers? While your at it, start investigating why MPS is denying workman’s comp claims when students attack teachers. I feel sorry for the children of Milwaukee. MPS is as crooked at they come. These kids won’t stand a chance until a complete overhaul takes place. Carrying a gun (legally or not) has been naturalized in Milwaukee. The fact that it’s illegal has nothing to do with carrying. Let’s refocus on the children and the teachers. Put up the damn metal detectors. You will never find the proof of how often kids bring guns to school because it is swept under the rug to avoid making the school look bad. Do an anonymous survey. Get real answers from teachers, aids, subs, and all the staff members. This is more real than any of you seem to get. When are we going to fire all these crooked old dogs running this enterprise and hire the young bright minds we have in this City to hit the restart button? Nothing is going to get better until transparency becomes a priority.
Career Politician Scott Walker is a bought and paid for shill for Big Corporate interests, Washington Special Interest groups and avaricious fear mongering lobbyists like the NRA.
Walker got his 3.5 million from the NRA. All we get as Americans is more gun massacres in our schools. Thanks for nothing Walker. Thanks for nothing Republican sell-outs.
Dump Walker 2018