The Indiana Senate has passed House Bill 1177. The controversial bill would use public funds for handgun and emergency-situation training for teachers who choose to participate. Current law allows teachers to carry guns in schools but does not require or offer any official training.

Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, presented the bill to the Senate on Tuesday for its third reading, saying it doesn’t go nearly as far as he wishes.

“I really wish it were mandatory training, but we can’t get that done as a General Assembly because I’ve tried that for the last number of years, and it’s failed miserably in the House over time,” Holdman said.

“I understand the minority’s consternation with the bill, so we take as much ground as we possibly can.”

Sen. Greg Taylor, D-Indianapolis, said there were gaping holes in the legislation. For instance, he said the bill doesn’t specify what type of firearm could be brought into a school.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, asked his fellow legislators to put themselves in the shoes of children in threatened classrooms.

“At that moment, when you know you’re next, would you want somebody else in that room with a gun to stop it?” Tomes asked.

Sen. Andrea Hunley, D-Indianapolis, spoke last on the issue.

She said she doesn’t believe the bill’s called-for 40 hours of training is enough to get a teacher ready for what they would potentially be carrying out.

“How is 40 hours of training going to prepare you to shoot a kid in your classroom?” Hunley asked.

On Monday during the bill’s second reading, three amendments were proposed and defeated.

An amendment from Hunley would require schools to notify parents of employees who have been authorized to carry a firearm. Hunley said the amendment was about parental notification, ensuring that parents know who is carrying a firearm in the building.

Holdman said he appreciated Hunley’s efforts but opposed the amendment.

“It just alarms me that we would have a list of those who have been trained and are carrying a firearm in the building, which means that the teachers and staff that are not carrying would somewhat be sitting ducks. Because if a gunman comes into a building and they have information as to those who have been trained, they just stay away from those classrooms and those kids,” Holdman said.

Taylor countered: “This amendment would do nothing to subvert the purposes of this piece of legislation, which is to allow teachers to have training when they want to carry them … It would merely inform the parent of the fact that that teacher has the gun.”

Hunley’s amendment failed 15-34.

Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, offered two amendments. Ford said he would continue to oppose legislation putting more guns in classrooms but that if teachers are going to carry a firearm, they should be required to be trained.

One of Ford’s amendments asked for a firearms class to be taught by an instructor who is qualified to provide the course and is approved by the Law Enforcement Training Board. It would also make the training ongoing.

“I don’t want us to just have folks get trained and then that’s it. I think if we’re going to make this policy, then they should continue to be certified on that,” Ford said.

The amendment failed 16-33.

Ford’s second amendment would  scrap the bill and send it to a summer study committee, where lawmakers would have more time to discuss it.

“You know, there’s so many questions that are still outstanding with this particular piece of legislation, and I think that we need to get this right,” Ford said.

Holdman opposed the amendment, saying, “We have had countless hours of discussion on these types of bills over the last decade, and I am certain that we would not be at any other spot than we are today with this legislation.”

That amendment also failed 10-39.