Snyder Vetoes Bill That Would Have Allowed Guns in Trenton, Grosse Ile Schools

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has vetoed a bill that would have allowed concealed weapons into public schools and sports arena, according to a report on Michigan Public Radio.

The Michigan Legislature passed Senate Bill 59 late last week that would have allowed concealed weapons in gun-free zones, but in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, CT, many had called for Snyder to veto the legislation.

David Hecker, Michigan President of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) said in a Friday statement, "We’re aghast that this lame duck legislature thinks it’s a good idea to put MORE guns in our schools, let alone places of worship or sports arenas...The House passed SB 59 on Thursday. How dare these lame duck legislators put the safety of students, educators and communities at risk. As our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims of today’s tragedy in Connecticut, we call on Governor Snyder to veto this ill-considered bill."

On Monday, Snyder said he would re-evaluate the bill, and on Tuesday, he vetoed it.

In 2008, Trenton Public Schools used bond money to update security at district buildings including adding video survailance and one primery point of entery in and out of all buildings.

"It would have been a difficult thing for schools to deal with had the law gone into effect," Trenton Superintendent Rod Wakeham said.

Mark Hoffman, president of the Trenton Education Association, said concealed weapons in the classroom would have affected the overall learning environment at Trenton Public Schools.

Hoffman is a political science teacher at Trenton High School. He has been discussing the issue with his class since Monday.

"My own students would be deathly afraid of any staff member ... I can't think of anything worse, in terms of a learning environment, than the threat of those guns going off."

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