If teacher firearm training at Faster Saves Lives is any indication of how many school districts are allowing guns in the classroom, the number appears to be increasing.
The non-profit organization supported by the Buckeye Firearms Association's Foundation reports, over the last three years, it has trained more than 400 teachers and administrators from 152 school districts in 63 of Ohio's 88 counties.
Faster (Faculty, Administrator, Safety Training and Emergency Response) Saves Lives trains school staff at the Tactical Defense Institute in Adams County and another location in Akron.
According to Faster Program Director Joe Eaton, "In Ohio, the local school board gets to decide who is going to participate in this program, and so, they know who is the competent staff they have, who are the staff that are willing to do this, and that they have the demeanor and the ability and the desire to make a difference."
Eaton says school districts send everyone from cafeteria workers to janitors to superintendents.
Eaton and Jim Irvine with the Buckeye Firearms Association say there isn't a database showing which school districts have allowed guns in the classroom. They say schools want to keep that information secret for security reasons.
There is no sign that this kind of training is slowing. Eaton says he has a waiting list of 2,000 for the three and a half day training. This is in addition to classes from other non-profits and local law enforcement.
