Arm the Teachers?

[Sakari]

If a teacher is willing to go through some training, I think its a great idea. Its really a no brainer. Even to the folks here mocking the idea. Answer this. A lunitic gunmen breaks into the school where your 5 year old son or daughter attends. He walks on to the first floor, where your childs class room is,. there are only 2 class rooms on this floor, and the madman is hell bent on killing everyone in both of them. The teachers get a heads up hearing shots fired when the man entered the building. In class room A a teacher has rushed the students in to the closet and is crouched down where he can get a clear shot as the man walks through the door with his 9mm. In class room B they are all hiding in the closet terrified with no hope what so ever. Which room would you want your child in?

I see no argument here...

[JGirl]

i remember watching a program years ago where david suzuki was being interviewed and he was talking about education in the future.

he suggested that in my children's lifetime schooling would be done remotely, via computer, and social skills would be picked up elsewhere. he did elaborate on that point, but frankly i don't remember what his ideas were on that.

i thought at the time that it was a farfetched idea because my children were already born at this point, but now i'm wondering if it's not the way to go. most lessons can be learned remotely and each student could either sit in person for an exam or do it in a controlled place, such as a public library etc.

edit to add

i think it could address the problem of individual learning needs as well, as lessons could be geared towrd that more.

each could learn at their own pace as well.

Edited December 20, 2012 by JGirl

[Ultima Weapon]

Simple. Requirement, no. Legally possible, yes.

[AsteroidX]

One Governor vetoed a bill that passed that would allow CWP for teachers...and a couple other situations. So Im not sure those that have the power understand.

Edited December 20, 2012 by AsteroidX

[Imaginarynumber1]

And babies in the womb!

Finally, they will no longer be defenseless from those evil, evil abortions!

Edited December 20, 2012 by Imaginarynumber1

[Wickian]

I don't disagree with this policy.

[Sakari]

Finally, they will no longer be defenseless from those evil, evil abortions!

again..........

[Drayno]

"It is more a subject of joy [than of regret] that we have so few of the desperate characters which compose modern regular armies. But it proves more forcibly the necessity of obliging every citizen to be a soldier; this was the case with the Greeks and Romans and must be that of every free State. Where there is no oppression there can be no pauper hirelings."

-- Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, 1813.

This sentiment expesses that every citizen must be armed and trained for our Republic to continue to be free.

This sentiment follows along the lines of logic that if every citizen, even children, are introduced to the reality of guns or weapons from a reasonable age, they would understand how and when to use said arms. The goal of such would be maintaining the state of the Republic; which is implied insomuch in the expressed intent that every citizen should be obliged to be a soldier. If that were the case, the cycle of violence could instead be altered if our children are more knowledgeable and educated about guns - and not fed fear regarding the actions of a few deranged individuals. Such steps, instead of gun control, would be beneficial to the continuation of our free society and might feed us different results instead of taking the easy road.

My former Creative Writing teacher and former editor is a seasoned gun owner.. He owns AK-47's and firearms of all kinds. He's also one of the most down to earth men I know, who likes to listen to Grateful Dead and Hendrix. In his opinion, after being a teacher for twenty plus years, having teachers armed isn't, realistically speaking, wrong or a gross thing in this society. Another teacher, a colleague and former student of my gun-totting teacher - a friend of mine, expressed his worst fear is a shooting happening at my former high school. In the case of such a thing, he has several blunt objects in his classroom and has plans to arm his students with whatever weapons are available in such an event. Against a gun, however, blunt objects can only do so much.

If the sentiment of our founding fathers was that every citizen should remain armed, should teachers being armed be such a farfetched reality?

It comes down to the moral implications and whether or not we want guns in such an environment.

However, since majority of these rampages occur in "gun-free zones", we should consider whether or not they would be better or worse for such a setting - schools.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Eonwe

[Sakari]

no prayer in schools

no condoms in schools

where was I going with this.....

[Jinxdom]

Allow the teachers the change to arm themselves with a class, so at least some of the more responsible teachers that can handle the weapons have them. Just make the option voluntary.

Add a riflery elective for older children as well. (Like the Boy Scouts have)

Make sure the instructor is NRA certified, has a qualified shrink on his side and make sure it's during school time so we can start weeding out problems in advance. You would be surprised how well you can find problems by watching a kid learning about a gun when it's unloaded.

Teaches kids responsibly with weapons, a good way to filter out the crazies, adds a teacher who knows how to shoot and isn't scared of it, and adds the threat of armed students to anybody who wants to break in and go nuts, (gives a class that most kids will like )

[Sakari]

Allow the teachers the change to arm themselves with a class, so at least some of the more responsible teachers that can handle the weapons have them. Just make the option voluntary.

Add a riflery elective for older children as well. (Like the Boy Scouts have)

Make sure the instructor is NRA certified, has a qualified shrink on his side and make sure it's during school time so we can start weeding out problems in advance. You would be surprised how well you can find problems by watching a kid learning about a gun when it's unloaded.

Teaches kids responsibly with weapons, a good way to filter out the crazies, adds a teacher who knows how to shoot and isn't scared of it, and adds the threat of armed students to anybody who wants to break in and go nuts, (gives a class that most kids will like )

Not sure about the rest of the States, but most High Schools have a JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps).

My dad was a instructor at Wooster High School....They have ( other schools also ) shooting ranges ( indoor ) and oh, around 100 .22 caliber rifles. They have drill and shooting competitions.

In the School.......Have for over 40 years now.

[AsteroidX]

During the Massachusetts ratifying convention William Symmes warned that the new government at some point "shall be too firmly fixed in the saddle to be overthrown by anything but a general insurrection." Yet fears of standing armies were groundless, affirmed Theodore Sedwick, who queried, "if raised, whether they could subdue a nation of freemen, who know how to prize liberty, and who have arms in their hands?"

[W]hereas, to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them; nor does it follow from this, that all promiscuously must go into actual service on every occasion. The mind that aims at a select militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle; and when we see many men disposed to practice upon it, whenever they can prevail, no wonder true republicans are for carefully guarding against it.

---Richard Henry Lee, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788.

[Jinxdom]

Not sure about the rest of the States, but most High Schools have a JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps).

My dad was a instructor at Wooster High School....They have ( other schools also ) shooting ranges ( indoor ) and oh, around 100 .22 caliber rifles. They have drill and shooting competitions.

In the School.......Have for over 40 years now.

Younger then that I meant like in middle school like from 5th grade up and during school. I knew about the ones for high school

Edited December 20, 2012 by Jinxdom

[The Silver Thong]

Put a thumb scan on every gun sold and record every thumb print that touches that gun. If it`s not the registered owner it won`t fire. Increase the cost of the weapon, so what.

[AsteroidX]

That should be done at home by parents IMO. But I hear ya. How many would actually train there child proper firearm safety. Which would be the focus at a young age.

[AsteroidX]

Put a thumb scan on every gun sold and record every thumb print that touches that gun. If it`s not the registered owner it won`t fire. Increase the cost of the weapon, so what.

1, Sorry not gonna have my Rights violated. 2. Do I have to buy his and hers incase Im not home and an intruder comes in my home.

[The Silver Thong]

1, Sorry not gonna have my Rights violated. 2. Do I have to buy his and hers incase Im not home and an intruder comes in my home.

You could have more then one fingerprint allowed to use the gun. Hence your rights would not be violated ya rights violated so one can leave guns un secured so crazy kids that get p***ed off can use them. google the print gun and get over that silly out dated right you think protects you.

[AsteroidX]

I asssume you are speaking of my rights under The Department of Homeland Security. These are not the ones I am speaking of.

Also this thread is not about general gun laws. So thanks for derailing.

Edited December 20, 2012 by AsteroidX

[glorybebe]

I asssume you are speaking of my rights under The Department of Homeland Security. These are not the ones I am speaking of.

Also this thread is not about general gun laws. So thanks for derailing.

He was trying to find a solution that was not encouraging ecen more guns out there. What Americans have to understand is that the rest of the world hears ideas like this and judge the whole nation by the reactions of a part of the population. Most of us cannot understand why the thought of more guns would make a situation like this better. It is always about the individual's rights-the right to arm yourself? What makes one citizen more important that society as a whole?

[Drayno]

I asssume you are speaking of my rights under The Department of Homeland Security. These are not the ones I am speaking of.

Also this thread is not about general gun laws. So thanks for derailing.

The DHS is a joke. You don't have rights under them

[JGirl]

He was trying to find a solution that was not encouraging ecen more guns out there. What Americans have to understand is that the rest of the world hears ideas like this and judge the whole nation by the reactions of a part of the population. Most of us cannot understand why the thought of more guns would make a situation like this better. It is always about the individual's rights-the right to arm yourself? What makes one citizen more important that society as a whole?

well said

[Yamato]

Ok, so let me get this straight. The way to stop shootings is to arm people who are untrained to deal with such situations? I am a trained soldier have been on tour so I've gone through training to use my rifle in stressful situations but that is because it is my job. I have seen what happens when jumpy soldiers are under trained in the use of their firearms (they where not front line soldiers) and this resulted in the near wounding or killing of friendly troops in the camp (we where under enemy attack). Now giving a teacher a gun is a VERY bad idea. They might have some training in it's use but will have no where near the training of a Police Officer or other agency who's primary job is to deal with this type of situation.

You give a teacher a gun and odds are more then just the gunman will get injured. They will be scared, jumpy, have tunnel vision, and odds are shoot first see who it is later. More then likely they will empty their magazine fast or not be able to react in the first place. A normal human being is not likely to shoot another human being (this is a fact proven by the military, which started changing training methods during the last half century).

I just have to ask if your solution to school shootings is to arm untrained Educators, then America look in the mirror and find the route of the problem, not a potentially dangerous band aid solution.

~Thanato

It's up to the states to decide whether guns are allowed in classrooms in that state.

The argument you're making can be applied to every untrained or semi-trained gun-toting citizen of this country The implication that your reasoning is to be constrained to the inside of a classroom and subjected only to teachers does not serve the 2nd Amendment right in this country when this reasoning is applicable to everyone.

There are too many guns in this country by an order of magnitude and then some. But peoples' 2nd Amendment rights shall not be abridged. And if we insist on that the only people who carry black scary weapons are police and military (as if nobody in the military is mentally ill, as if cops are all upstanding law-abiding citizens lol) then that should be up to the states to decide. The 2nd doesn't specify conditions as to what kind of firearm is protected. If you want that, either Amend the Constitution or keep the feds out of it. If we trust our states with life and death (and we do) let's learn how to trust them to figure out what kind of guns are okay for us to own and carry.

[+Paranoid Android]

Arming teachers? This is the worst lapse in judgement since King Leonidas said "it's just a goat trail, it can't hurt anyone".

Really, this is just an over-the-top reactionary response to a tragic event. There are so many negatives to this. First, imagine the outcry when poor 15-year old Johnny is shot dead by the teacher because he is about to start a rampage on his own. His parents will say "that isn't our Johnny, Johnny would never hurt other people like that". The next thing we know, the media is demanding the school explain why the teacher shot a student (even with Johnny's Facebook update saying "I'm going to kill everyone", we can't know with 100% certainty that this would have happened). Next, the parents are suing the school and/or the teacher and demanding that this teacher be sacked.

Another problem I see - let's say the new laws are passed and teachers are allowed to carry guns. Assuming that carrying a gun is not mandatory and teachers can choose not to carry a gun.... Imagine a teacher retires, two equally qualified teachers apply for the job, each are great at what they do, and each would be a tremendous benefit to the school. One of them has a moral objection to carrying firearms, and the other has no such qualms. Is this not a case of Discrimination? Will some school jobs be advertised with a provision that a concealed weapons permit is preferred for any prospective applicants?

I can't stress how bad this idea is, and I know most Americans agree with me on that so my admittedly Australian sensibilities are not the only ones being affronted here.

~ Regards, PA

Edited December 20, 2012 by Paranoid Android

[AsteroidX]

The gun problem is That principle didnt have a chance to have a CWP. The solution not to put my child in a locked box Im guessin

Edited December 20, 2012 by AsteroidX

[AsteroidX]

%DOUBLE POST&