Every Pennsylvania school would receive state funding to establish a required primary entrance with a metal detector, under a proposal introduced Tuesday by a Republican state lawmaker.

State Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe/Pike (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

State Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe/Pike, also proposes in the bill requiring the presence of at least one armed safety officer at all times during both school hours and after-school activities.

The proposed "School Violence Prevention Act" comes five days after the murders of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The Feb. 14 shooting marked the 17th incident of gunfire at an American school in 2018. At least 21 people have been killed and more than 19 injured in the shootings.

"We simply must stop being reactionary each time one of these horrendous, senseless acts of violence occurs in our schools, or any public setting for that matter," Brown said in a statement Tuesday. "Very sadly, the trend of school shootings and violence continues to occur and the fears of our children, teachers, parents, guardians and community members remain at an all-time high."

Brown had eight bipartisan co-sponsors on her bill as of Tuesday afternoon. This bill would mirror the steps visitors face at federal buildings, where the highest security measures are taken in an effort to identify safety concerns, Brown stated.

"As legislators, it is our job to create laws to benefit the people of Pennsylvania," she continued. "Our students deserve to have an educational environmental that is safe from harm where they can focus on learning. No parent should worry about their child's safety when they send them to school. The time is now for us to take proactive action."

Students pass through security and a metal detector Oct. 16, 2007, at Success Tech Academy in Cleveland, after a classmate shot four people then killed himself the prior week. (AP file photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

The bill was not immediately given a tracking number, or a total cost estimate to the state. Lawmakers are currently going through the appropriations process for the state's more than $30 billion budget, Brown noted.

"That, of course, is going to be the strongest point" of contention, Brown said Tuesday. "We have 500 school districts. ... I know it's going to be a large dollar amount.

"But I have to say when I looked at this, we have a $30-plus billion dollar state budget and what we're dealing with -- families, children, grandparents, whole communities -- I think that we really need to get this conversation going and try to do some initiative of this sort."

Brown's proposal comes amid talk about new federal gun-control legislation in the wake of last week's shootings.

U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican from Lehigh County, renewed his call for stronger background checks on firearms purchases.

I am committed to improving our federal background check system, which is why my staff and I will continue to reach out to senators on both sides of the aisle to see where progress can be made. — Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) February 15, 2018

And on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he directed the U.S. Department of Justice to ban gun modifications that simulate fully automatic fire from semiautomatic rifles. These so-called bump stocks are similar to those used in the massacre last Oct. 1 of 58 people from a hotel room on the Las Vegas Strip.

Trump says he just signed a memorandum directing the AG to propose regulations to ban bump stock devices #tictocnews pic.twitter.com/LolQI0pSug — TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) February 20, 2018

Students who survived last Thursday's school shooting began a 400-mile journey Tuesday to Florida's capital to urge state lawmakers to prevent a repeat of the deadly violence. The students planned to hold a rally Wednesday in Tallahassee to put pressure on the state's Republican-controlled Legislature to consider a package of gun-control laws, something some GOP lawmakers said Monday they would consider.

Among the victims in last week's school shooting in Florida was 49-year-old Chris Hixon, who lived in Easton's West Ward before moving to Monroe County for high school. He was the athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The alleged Florida school shooter, a 19-year-old former student there named Nikolas Cruz, opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle. Equipped with a gas mask and smoke grenades, he set off a fire alarm to draw students out of classrooms shortly before the day ended at one of the state's largest schools, authorities said.

Three days later, on Sunday, Pennsylvania State Police in Somerset County arrested a 17-year-old student at Shade Junior-Senior High School in Shade Township who allegedly claimed "he was going to shoot up the school and the people in it."

Here is a look at this year's school shootings that led to injuries prior to last week's incident in Florida:

JAN. 20, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA: A 21-year-old college football player was shot to death at an events center at Wake Forest University. Najee Ali Baker was killed after a fight at a sorority party.

JAN. 22, ITALY, TEXAS: A 16-year-old student shot a 15-year-old classmate in the neck and abdomen at Italy High School before firing at another student and missing. The victim survived and the shooter was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

JAN. 23, BENTON, KENTUCKY: A 15-year-old student opened fire inside a crowded atrium at Marshall County High School, killing two classmates and hitting a dozen others. He shot until his handgun emptied and then he fled and was arrested moments later.

JAN. 31, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A 32-year-old man was fatally shot outside a high school basketball game following reports of a large fight in the parking lot of the Abraham Lincoln High School. No students or school staff were injured.

FEB. 1, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A 12-year-old girl was charged after a gun went off in her backpack at Salvador B. Castro Middle School, striking two classmates and leaving three others with injuries from broken glass. A girl that was hit in the head and another hit in the wrist survived. A classmate told the AP that the girl was sobbing and kept repeating, "I didn't mean it."

FEB. 5, OXON HILL, MARYLAND: A 17-year-old student was lured to the parking lot of Oxon Hill High School and shot. The 11th grader survived and two other students were charged with attempted murder.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.