CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state legislature will be making the final decision on a gun bill impacting school-related activities before the 60-day regular session comes to an end at midnight Saturday.
The bill (SB 244) passed the House of Delegates Friday morning and was sent back to the Senate which passed the bill earlier this session.
The goal of the measure, according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Shott, R-Mercer, is to clarify some confusion that came from a Kanawha County circuit judge’s order that came following the passage of a bill in 2014. That order said guns banned from community centers where school programs are held bans guns from those facilities into the future.
This year’s bill limits the ban, Shott said.
“The prohibition (of guns) on school activities when they are outside the school property is limited and it’s limited to the time the activity is going on and it’s limited to the area in which the activity is taking place,” Shott said.
Charleston Mayor Danny Jones, who fought the original bill in 2014 that allowed guns in rec centers, has also expressed concern with this measure.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said municipalities may decide to close recreation centers if the terms of the gun ban change.
“I hope we’ll be able to keep our rec centers open I really do,” Pushkin said. “A lot of poor kids rely on this for a place to go after school and a place to go before they are old enough to go to school.
Pushkin said he doesn’t see any money allocated that would help municipalities purchase and install gun lockers.
Pushkin also said the bill could result in a terrible accident happening at a rec center.
“Somebody puts their gun down while they’re working out and one of the children in one of the pre-school programs might be harmed due to an accident and that’s what we’re trying to prevent,” Pushkin said.
But Delegate Dianna Graves, R-Kanawha, said the bill does nothing to change the state’s other gun laws.
“This bill does not make it allowed. It doesn’t,” she said. “You’d be asked to leave and if you don’t leave, it’s a misdemeanor. It’s not legal to leave your gun hanging around.”
The House passed the bill 86-12 Friday and returned it to the Senate.