A proposal to allow school workers to carry concealed firearms on campuses has been tabled by the Senate education committee.
The bill, supported by the National Rifle Association, and introduced by Republican Sue Wilson Beffort would have allowed up to three school employees to carry concealed handguns on campus in order to provide added security.
Under current statute, schools are allowed to hire armed officers as a security measure if they have the money to do so. According to Beffort's, under her bill schools who couldn't afford armed guards would have had an option for protection, instead of finding additional sources of funding for the same support.
"We figured that with over 800 schools in New Mexico, that would have been another 45 or 50 million dollars to be able to have that level of protection, and we certainly don't have it in the budget and I don't predict that we will," says Beffort.
The bill was tabled on a 6 to 3 vote.
The KUNM news team's coverage of the 2020 legislative session and its impacts