Should We Arm Our Teachers?

[AlanM]

My vote would be YES!

Should We Arm Our Teachers?

There are several things that are not going to happen in this country in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy that struck Newtown, Conn., two weeks ago.

First of all, despite the recommendations of National Rifle Association top honcho Wayne LaPierre, we are not going to post armed guards in all of our nation’s schools. There are something like 135,000 schools in this country. The cost to put armed guards in all of them for every hour they are open would be staggering. I can’t imagine there are very many local communities that would be willing to pay the price.

Here's a quick factoid to point out to your anti-gun acquaintances:

Mass shootings at public schools in this country were extremely rare prior to 1995. That was the year that Congress approved the national Gun-Free School Zone Act. The assumption was that banning anyone from carrying a weapon into any of our public schools would make them safer.

No, it didn’t. All it did was make them sitting ducks for deranged lunatics. For starters, how about we rescind that law and encourage people who want to be ready to deal with such situations, rare as they may be, to get the training, permits and equipment necessary to carry a concealed weapon in public?

[rlbellco72]

I carry just about everywhere it is legal for me to carry. I would gladly volunteer to stand guard at a school once or twice a week. Maybe a volunteer system would help. Just a thought.

[XD9SCLCP380]

YUP!



Mark

[rlbellco72]

Oh yeah, I think that school officials should be armed if they wish.

[davasmith]

How 'bout this..... we have a armed national guard that stands un deployed. Put two guards at each school in rotating shifts. The cost would be much less than private security companies or local police. No cost for further training on weapons, as their training is in revolutions. No further costs of medical care, the military will pay that. No overtime expenses because school is less than eight hours and any extra curricular activities would be covered by the rotating shifts. I understand what a military presence in our school systems might look like, but I understand the immense deterrant they would truly be. Not to mention that the guards have children most likely and would be ever vigilant. Jmho, and yes I would volunteer in a second to guard my sons schools.

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[thekinetic]

Short answer yes, the long answer is a bit more complicated than that. If security in our schools were stepped up there would be no need. But perhaps a bit of both would be ideal. In that the security in the school would be the first defense, no one in or out without authorization. Should that fail and someone get's in via dumbarse then teachers should have at their disposal weapons for the defense of their classroom as well as bulletproof classroom doors.

[wally626]

I would certainly support allowing teachers to carry with a valid permit along with any other citizen. I would not require teachers to carry.

[VACoastie]

I just say abolish gun free school zones. If a student brings a firearm to school, they will be dealt with appropriately since they are not of age to possess anyways. At least make it so you can CCW. Put a resource officer at the school. I had it at mine and beyond just having an armed police officer there, his presence lowered fights. After seeing the first fight outbreak and the officer slamming the kid to the tiled floor, we didn't have many fights after that on school premises haha.

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[downzero]

Maybe we could use the money were sending to Pakistan and Egypt to pay for security.

[lizjimbo]

A few armed teachers and administrators in every school will put a screeching halt to any additional armed psychopaths. It is the only solution to stop gun violence. Not real sure why it is a question. The alternative is to tolerate kids getting killed or to completely remove all firearms from society. What the liberals want to do is to incrementally reduce the number of kids getting killed by reducing the magazine size. What gun owners want done is for kids to stop getting killed altogether. Why are we even having this debate?

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[moss20]

Yes

My son and his teacher have access to firearms for protection--he's home schooled.

[lizjimbo]

My daughter is also homeschooled and has been well schooled in racking a 9mm,40cal pistol, 40cal carbine, and pumping a 12 gauge and 20 gauge. She also has a 2 inch group at 100 yards on her mothers ar15.

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[CalebDor]

I carry just about everywhere it is legal for me to carry. I would gladly volunteer to stand guard at a school once or twice a week. Maybe a volunteer system would help. Just a thought.

I'm in the same boat Rlbellco. I'd volunteer to stand watch over a school in a heartbeat. At least then the folks inside wouldn't be utterly defenseless.

After I heard the news of Newtown, Connecticut my first thought was "Why wasn't there someone posted to protect those kids from evil? We protect our money with armed guards, our political elite protects itself with armed guards, why don't we protect our children? "

It would be a hard sell to many parents, especially here in Fredericksburg, but I think your idea is an excellent one.

[gfost1]

I just say abolish gun free school zones. If a student brings a firearm to school, they will be dealt with appropriately since they are not of age to possess anyways. At least make it so you can CCW. Put a resource officer at the school. I had it at mine and beyond just having an armed police officer there, his presence lowered fights. After seeing the first fight outbreak and the officer slamming the kid to the tiled floor, we didn't have many fights after that on school premises haha.

My thoughts exactly. We had a resource officer at my jr. high and high schools back in the seventies, and some manly coaches to back him up, not that such a need arose. Busing and desegregation were hot button issues at that time, and caused no end of tension, yet actual violence was rare, short-lived, and dealt with appropriately.

Arm teachers? Certainly make firearms training available to them, and a lot of other paternal government types as well, as part of a larger self-defense curriculum. That might go a long way toward dispelling the anti-gun sentiment that seems to pervade public servant bureaucracies.

Regards,

George

[AppleaDay]

I'm a teacher and have had a CHL for over a decade now. At least three of us in the building have CHLs.
The parents in particular and the public at large expect us to fight to the death if a nut comes into the school and tries to kill the kids. It's unrealistic and counterproductive to make us do that empty handed. Give us a fighting chance.

[wpoppert]

I remember a teacher who brought a 9mm pistol to school and showed us how to field strip it during class. And that was in Maryland! OK, it was a long time ago. I must be older than I think.

[clayinva]

I'm a teacher and have had a CHL for over a decade now. At least three of us in the building have CHLs.
The parents in particular and the public at large expect us to fight to the death if a nut comes into the school and tries to kill the kids. It's unrealistic and counterproductive to make us do that empty handed. Give us a fighting chance.

And even those who don't want to carry can attend something like the NRA 'Refuse to be a Victim' class.

[ShotgunBlast]

Whether they choose to be armed or not, everyone should at least watch Run. Hide. Fight.

[rlbellco72]

Whether they choose to be armed or not, everyone should at least watch Run. Hide. Fight.

Excellent Video.

[lizjimbo]

Whether they choose to be armed or not, everyone should at least watch Run. Hide. Fight.

Excellent Video.

Excellent video for no other option. There are other options. My wife works for a county agency. She does have a concealed carry permit but the county says no firearms in their buildings. She is on the 7th floor and an active shooter would most certainly be able to get her. She was forced to watch this video and was highly offended that she was offered every avenue except to defend yourself and others. Maybe we need to stop being a nation of cowards and get rid of these maniacs permanently. What is so wrong with people carrying concealed weapons. Folks, we are at war with evil and evil is killing us. Evil has permeated all of our social structures. I am not just talking about the lunatic fringe with the guns...there are numerous ways evil filters in and damages our society. Let us at least be allowed to not be disarmed. The active shooter clearly is not paying attention to the rule book.