Local

House Bill 99: Kettering city officials urging DeWine to veto bill

Three people, including the suspected gunman were fatally shot in the parking lot of a church in Ames, Iowa. (Josiah_S/iStock)

DAYTON — Officials in Kettering, which includes Mayor Peggy Lehner and the city council, have written a letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine indicating that they are not in favor of arming teachers and staff in their community.

In a letter drafted to Gov. DeWine, Lehner and city council members are urging DeWine to live up to his promise to “do something,” that he pledged he would do after the Oregon District shooting in August of 2019.

>> RELATED: House Bill 99: Questions remain over bill’s language, required training hours

The letter says, “When you pledged to “do something” following this tragedy, we were hopeful that thoughtful safeguards would be put in place to eliminate or decrease the opportunities for these incidents to occur.”

News Center 7 talked to two local school districts on Thursday that presented opposing views on the subject matter.  Mad River Local Schools’ superintendent said his district would welcome the idea of arming teachers and staff to help protect their buildings against a gunman.

Meanwhile, the superintendent said she did not believe that more guns in buildings was the answer.

Kettering city officials also stated in the letter they wrote to DeWine, “The promise to “do something” is somehow literally failing into the hands of our educators.”

>> RELATED: House Bill 99: 2 local school districts offer opposing views on potential new legislation

The letter continues by saying, “Please fulfill the promise you made just two days after nine people were killed in Dayton. We believe in you. Please veto this legislation.”

The legislation that the letter is referring to is Ohio House Bill 99, which is poised to be signed by DeWine sometime very soon.

0