A bill prohibiting teachers from carrying firearms in schools has been signed into law by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The bill, signed Wednesday, prevents school districts from arming school staff who are not school resource officers, law enforcement officers or security guards, WLNY-TV reported.
“The answer to the gun violence epidemic plaguing this country has never been and never will be more guns, and today we’re expanding New York’s nation-leading gun safety laws to further protect our children,” Cuomo said.
The move comes a year after President Donald Trump promoted arming teachers in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which left 17 people dead.
The bill was part of a larger package of New York state gun control laws passed in January, The New York Times reported. On Monday, Cuomo signed a bill extending the background check waiting period and banning bump stocks. On Tuesday, he signed bills that band undetectable guns and expand firearm safe storage laws.
Federal law prohibits firearms on school grounds, but provides an exception for people licensed to carry a firearm. Currently, at least 40 states have laws banning guns at K-12 schools, even if the owner has a concealed weapons permit, The Times reported.
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