Guns for teachers- an idea who's time has come?

[simonov jr]

The Israelis have been doing this for years, so it should make sense for US teachers. Does this sound like the "Arm the pilots" calls to you, which resonated so well after 9/11? I'm hoping this has the potential to trap the anti's beteen a rock and a hard place. My only question is, what took NRA so long to go on the offensive on this issue?

http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/3/26/142743.shtml

NRA Official Suggests Guns for Teachers
NewsMax.com Wires
Saturday, March 26, 2005
PHOENIX -- All options should be considered to prevent rampages like the Minnesota school shooting that took 10 lives - including making guns available to teachers, a top National Rifle Association leader said Friday.

"I'm not saying that that means every teacher should have a gun or not, but what I am saying is we need to look at all the options at what will truly protect the students," the NRA's first vice president, Sandra S. Froman, told The Associated Press.
Story Continues Below



Gun control restrictions would not have prevented Jeff Weise, 16, from killing nine people and himself Monday at Red Lake High School near Bemidji, Minn., said Froman, an attorney expected next month to be elected president of the NRA, which claims 4 million members.
The presence of an unarmed guard at the school failed to stop the siege, she noted.

"No gun law, no policy that you could implement now or that was already implemented, I think, could possibly prevent someone so intent on destruction," she said. "I think everything's on the table as far as looking at what we need to do to make our schools safe for our students."

Froman said if it is the responsibility of teachers to protect students in a school, "then we as a society, we as a community have to provide a way for the teachers to do that."

Froman cited the 1997 school shooting incident in Pearl, Miss., where a teacher retrieved a gun from his car when a student opened fire, then held the student at bay until police arrived.

A law prohibiting guns in schools "is not going to stop someone who has evil in their heart and who has the capacity to commit those crimes from doing them," Froman said.




© 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[Sir William]

I read that on Rotten.com. The ultimate stupidity. We complain of how many socialist doctrine is used in the school curriculum now. Arming the socialst indoctrination team is not a good idea. Knee jerk reaction to a non-existent problem. If we would institutionalize the mentally ill, they wouldn't be able to shoot others.

 

[dolanp]

Teachers, I dunno. "Security guards" like the one who was killed trying to stop the latest kid, yeah I think so.

 

[IZinterrogator]

I think that the NRA came off the wrong way in the press. It sounded like they were demanding all teachers carry a CCW, even if they didn't want to. But what do you expect, it came out of context from the media.

 

[Psalm 144:1]

Mark my words...

I`m certain that it would shock most folks to realize how many teachers already carry concealed firearms to work with them on a regular basis out of sheer fear for their lives. Heck,I can remember this trend being sort of joked about during the `70`s. It is only a matter of time before we hear of a school shooting which involves a teacher smokin` someone`s li`l darlin` in homeroom because they were able to beat them to the draw.

 

[70-101]

I am indeed shocked.

I`m certain that it would shock most folks to realize how many teachers already carry concealed firearms to work with them on a regular basis out of sheer fear for their lives

Is that a fact? Please,forgive me,but, I find this extreamly hard to believe. Have you researched this matter? What is the source of your information? How about providing a link or perhaps even point to a reasonably creditble source that has researched this matter in detail;conducted the dozens of interviews with teachers that would be necessary before anyone could possibly come to the conclusion. That many teachers,do indeed, carry concealed firearms to work on a regular basis. Which,I believe,is a violaton of state and federal law.

 

[Majic]

As more and more teachers preach anti-gun to the students I can't see getting them to go around armed.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would just prefer to let the teacher carry with a CCW license and then not prosecute if they are discovered. I suspect that most teachers need their jobs, and as a result, do not and will not carry. It is too darn easy to get fired as a teacher after parents complain and so forth especially if their politics don't match the administration's. Remember this is the same environment that suspends kids for having an aspirin (or similar meds) with them in school that was not sanctioned by the school.

 

[M4A3]

Somthing like that would make these kids think twice before going on a shooting rampage, but I'm pretty shure it would never fly.

 

[faraway]

One consideration is that the theories/indoctrination at the education schools will tend to preclude the tendancy for many teachers to consider even carrying a firearm.
Psalm however has touched on an issue the NEA iis unwilling to admit exists...that yes teachers are arming, although a very low proportion will likely do so with a firearm. Back when I was in the PS, (during the Columbine era) quite a few teachers were carrying pain compliance batons and such.
A very essential change in outlook.
But the concept that armed teachers is going to work...probably not. Culturally (within that overall subculture), it would be heretical.
And might keep in mind that the Isreali armed teachers, are armed to counteract outsider attacks...not attacks by their own students. And that conditional could be enough to largely negate the effectiveness of arming teachers.
And mayhaps, arming teachers. might not make school shooters really think twice, that contingent usually has no intention of surviving their attacks. Dying in commission is part of their agenda. As such, armed teachers might not be a deterrent in that particular case. Could even be a impetus, insofar as it would fit into the deviant role playing paradigm in which these lunatics seem to format themselves. When violence itself has no conceptual reality, the counteracting of violence, by violence, would have no meaning.

 

[USP45usp]

This has been discussed here before (the WI shootings) and I've yet to see one solution to the problem from those that don't want anyone armed in the schools.

The question is not why some "feel" that it's a bad idea but a question of what will make our schools safer?

The metal detectors don't work. The un-armed guards don't work. Lock downs only enable the shooter or shooters to have a captive audience(sp).

So now we know what doesn't work, why can't we get together to find something that works?

So, since we know that gun control in these zones don't work, why don't we go the other way and make them "protective zones" instead of "gun free zones"?

Wayne

Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

 

[LAK]

Easy; strike off every piece of firearms legislation going back to the 1930s. There are a few other issues to be addressed as well, but that would be a good start.

 

[HighVelocity]

This conversation is up to 4 pages over on THR and still there is no consensus on the subject and I'm sure there won't be on the firing line either.
We could talk about why teachers should or shouldn't be armed until we're old and gray but the odds of teachers ever carrying legally concealed weapons while teaching classes are slim and none.

 

[SPQR]

Arming Teachers...A Modest Proposal

Having taught in an inner city school system I would like to make a modest proposal. Teachers should be allowed to shoot one student per year. Teachers should also wear a badge showing that they haven't met their quota...yet. Students would not want to be "the one" so student behavior should improvement significantly.

 

[Harlie]

The education

System that provides the teachers today won't permit that occuring. Parents need to be barred from interfering with the education system. What I'm making reference to is yelling and screaming each time Johnny gets his fingers smacked. Johnny been bad, let mommy or better yet Daddy set though some of little Johnnies classes for a week or more. The whole set up favorers the type of problem we are having today. First is lack of order, discipline, respect in the homes and neighberhoods. That comes to the school, due to parents interfering. Lastly the out side agencies that are or should be responsible for weeding out the element that causes these problems. Each and every incident had multible indicaters, no one acted upon them. But my little Johnny wouldn't do that, and the courts say, be nice and don't do it again. Get these kids off prescribed dumb down, slow down drugs. Only the very rare teacher would have the correct, proper mind set to carry effectively and he would be very recognizable to the attacker.

 

[Rickstir]

Last week a 2nd grader took a .45 to class. What possible type of law could be passed to prevent that? Parental resposibility is the cure, but there is little chance of reviving it in this society. I thought it ironic that the Brady bunch guy said the NRA used the incident to further their agenda; as if that is not what the Brady Bunch has been doing since Coumbine.

 

[Gino]

As a long-time teacher and CCW, all I can say is NOT ME. You're asking me to assume the liability of carrying during the hours that I am legally liable for the safety of the kids. That means that I would need liability insurance for any "unfortunate incident" that might occur. Without this protection from being sued, I'd be pretty niave to carry in school.

FWIW, I don't know any teachers who are stupid enough to carry at school. If found out, there goes the ability to ever teach again. The school environment doesn't tend to be secure enough that anyone sane would feel safe locking their gun up. As for carrying a gun on you as you teach, forget it. As you walk up and down rows of kids, someone would see or bump into a gun carried anywhere on your body.

I've taught in a couple of pretty tough schools, but never felt the need to carry a gun. (I'm not saying that there aren't guns in teacher's cars in the parking lot though.)