SB 17-005

Senate Bill 17-005 allows county sheriffs to offer handgun safety training courses to school employees who have a permit to carry concealed weapons. After completing the course and getting approval from their local board of education or state charter school institute, these trained employees can carry concealed handguns on school grounds if they receive written permission from the relevant authorities. The bill ensures that the curriculum includes emergency response plans and meets insurability standards for armed staff. It is now signed into law, meaning schools in Colorado can implement this training and permitting process for their staff who wish to be armed while at work.

Official Summary

The bill allows a county sheriff to provide a handgun safety training course to any employee of any public elementary, middle, junior high, or high school who also possesses a permit to carry a concealed handgun. A sheriff who provides a handgun safety training course shall consult with the board of education of each school district in the sheriff's county, and, as may be appropriate, with the state charter school institute, to establish the curriculum for the course. The sheriff and each school district board, and, as may be appropriate, the state charter school institute, shall ensure that the curriculum includes consideration of any existing emergency response framework and satisfies insurability standards for armed school employees. A person who possesses a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun (permittee) who is employed by a school district, charter school, or institute charter school may carry a concealed handgun onto the grounds of any school or charter school of the district or of the institute charter school if: The permittee has successfully completed a school employee handgun safety course provided by a county sheriff; The local board of education of the school district (local board) or, in the case of an institute charter school, the state charter school institute, has approved the curriculum of the sheriff's department that provided the handgun safety course; The permittee has received written permission from the local board or, in the case of an institute charter school, from the state charter school institute, to carry a concealed handgun onto school grounds; and The permittee has notified the administration of the school, charter school, or institute charter school in writing that he or she may be carrying a concealed handgun on school grounds. Each local board and the state charter school institute may: Establish a maximum number of employees who may carry a concealed handgun in each school, charter school, and institute charter school; and Deny permission to carry a concealed handgun to any employee if granting permission to the employee would result in such a limit being exceeded.(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

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