L.I. Senator's Push To Bar Armed Teachers Quickly Defeated

Propositions put forward by State Senator Todd Kaminsky to ban armed teachers from New York schools were quickly shot down at a meeting in the senate on Monday.

That morning, Kaminsky held a press conference to announce his plan, which would bar New York teachers from being able to carry guns into classrooms. His proposition was an amendment to a bill being voted on in the senate on Monday that would give school districts more funding to hire retired law enforcement officers as security.

"Right now, our president has said he wants to change federal law and do away with gun-free school zones," Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, said on the senate floor. "That would leave the law in our state open to any school board allowing a classroom teacher to carry a firearm. Arming teachers is dangerous, and it's misguided."

However, Kaminsky's measure never got very far. It was not allowed to come to the floor for a vote by the Republican majority in the senate.

"Instead of looking at common-sense measures that work and funding mental health treatment, which is so desperately needed in our state, we are window dressing," Kaminsky said. "And yes, school security is important. But guns in our classrooms is dangerous. It's a matter of time before something goes wrong. The answer to our gun problem is not more guns."

Photo: Sen. Todd Kaminsky's Office