On Wednesday, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass an important bill to help prevent school violence, in the wake of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) co-sponsored the legislation.

    “In any discussion on education policy and gun laws, there should be no higher priority right now than school safety,” Rep. Smith stated. “This bill provides critical funding of evidence-based prevention strategies, to ensure our students receive the best protection possible.”

    Rep. Smith, who discussed school safety with high school students from Tinton Falls and Middletown this past weekend, co-sponsored the STOP School Violence Act, HR 4909, which would reauthorize and improve  the existing Secure Our Schools program, through by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and which was created after the school shootings in Columbine, CO and Newtown, CT.

    The Secure Our Schools program provides funding to state, local and tribal governments for school safety strategies that are tailored to specific schools and districts.

    The bill would authorize $75 million per year for schools to implement prevention measures to protect students from acts of violence in the future. These measures would include funding for metal detectors and other security equipment, training for security personnel, cooperation between schools and local law enforcement, and training for teachers to recognize potential threats to students and to intervene before threats become active.

    The legislation would also help schools create an anonymous reporting system for students to send tips about possible threats to local law enforcement.  

    “This grant program is an important part of what should be a comprehensive response to violence in our schools,” Smith said. “We must do all we can to protect tomorrow’s leaders today, and ensure they have the best environment possible to focus on their studies.”

    “When our children are organizing walkouts or demonstrations to show that they do not feel safe at school, we know that something is terribly wrong and needs to be remedied immediately.”

    Smith is also a cosponsor of HR 4240, which would close the gun show loophole, provide consistent background checks and ensure that all who should be prohibited from gun purchases would be listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).  

    He recently met with students from Middletown South High School and Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, where they discussed gun laws and school safety.