Legislation that allows training teachers to carry guns in Colorado advanced beyond its first step in the Colorado Senate Tuesday. Senate Bill 5 still faces long odds if it passes in the Republican-led Senate because it then goes to the Democrat-led House.

Democrats in Colorado annually kill GOP gun bills.

The bill would allow teachers and administrators to take training approved by their local school board to allow them to carry a gun on campus and participate in an emergency response. The school board could pick a training program offered by their county’s sheriff or another sheriff.

The bill was supported Tuesday by the County Sheriffs of Colorado.

“We think this will bring a solution to a problem that has long bothered us – response times in rural districts,” said the association’s lobbyist, Peg Ackerman.

State law already allows school districts to hire armed security guards. Supporters of the bill said it’s about training those who are allowed to carry guns on campus.

“This does not put guns in schools,” said Senate Majority Leader Chris Holbert, the bill’s sponsor. “We have guns in school. That’s current law.”

The bill passed 3-2 on a party-line vote and moves to the Senate floor, where it is expected to pass, again, on a party-line vote.

Jane Dougherty told the committee educators, regardless of training, are not suited be sharpshooters in rapid-response, high-stress environments.

Her sister Mary Sherlach was the school psychologist killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where Adam Lanza killed 20 students and six adults in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.

“I’ve heard gun extremists avow that my sister should have been armed,” said Dougherty, who lives in Colorado.

However, “My sister gave her life protecting her students. My sister would never have wanted to carry a gun.”

Opponents testified that they were concerned a teacher could be overpowered and have a gun taken away from them by a student.

“It encourages the introduction of a lethal device into a school environment,” said Marnie Kamensky of Colorado Ceasefire, an anti-gun violence group.

Holbert said the bill is designed to complement school districts’ existing emergency-response requirements.

“Nobody would be required to take the training if they don’t want to.” he saiid.

Sen. Steve Fenberg. a Democrat from Boulder, was concerned about the 178 districts deciding independently what the standard of training should be.

“The power it gives at the local level could result in no real training to a person with a gun in a local school,” he said.

Holbert replied that if local school districts and sheriffs didn’t do the job adequately local voters would hold them accountable.

Ken Toltz, the founder and co-chairman of Safe Campus Colorado, called the bill “a risky scheme based on ideology not good policy.”