Move to arm teachers picks up steam in TN

[spanone]

Measures that would bring more police officers into schools and allow teachers to be armed appear to be gaining momentum among Tennessee lawmakers in the wake of last month’s shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Several Tennessee lawmakers say they have drafted legislation that would encourage school districts to place at least one armed police officer in every school and would allow teachers who have undergone special training to bring their personal handguns into schools.

And at least one city in Middle Tennessee is considering paying for teachers to take a gun training course.

The state measures would reverse decades-old policies that have all but banned firearms from schools. Supporters say gun bans have failed to prevent school violence, but many teachers, administrators and parents are reacting with alarm to the proposals. Some are against teachers having guns in classrooms, saying it will make schools less safe by letting untrained marksmen carry guns into an environment filled with children.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20130106/NEWS0201/301060068/Move-arm-teachers-picks-up-steam-TN

[samsingh]

1. this will result in more tragedies

[Earth_First]

2. Great.

[Turbineguy]

3. Well it looks like we finally have an aspect of education the GOP likes.

Spending educational dollars on guns and gun training.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Why don't they just allow all of the students to be armed?

Even the 6 & 7 year olds.

[spanone]

5. complete GOP congress/governor.... they will ram this through

like they have all legislation since they took the majority

[blaze]

6. I am going to start praying right now

for the first teacher that accidentally shoots and kills one of her/his students.

Or maybe I should start a fund for the trial.

[peacebird]

7. Armed guard did not stop Columbine. But, if the teachers are given a serious pay raise to be armed

And if we hire more cops, well the added employment could be a boost for some towns. Lets see, here we have 16 elementary, 6 middle, and 4 high schools. That would be ~30 cops. Now how they plan to PAY for the additional police, training, weapons....



Guns in schools btw is a stupid stupid idea. LaPierre is a frothing idiot.

But strictly as a means of getting more folks employed in a solid profession it has merit....

[Earth_First]

8. Armed guards in schools are not educators...

You bring exactly the point on how does a district pay for this?

Now to speak to the educators who oppose violence and/or gun ownership.

Do you DEMAND as part of their chosen career path that they arm themselves? How does that work?

Are only certain teachers armed?

Is it a volunteer effort?

Teachers are human beings; they are not infallible beings. Whose to say that by having access to a gun in a school, that an educator does not become the next school shooter?

This is wrong on so many levels I cannot begin to wrap my head around it...

[peacebird]

10. You misunderstood me. I think arming teachers is totally stupid, as is putting armed cops in schools

It is dumb dumb dumb. The only positive I could find is that there would be good new jobs available in weapons safety training, markmenship, additional police hired, and IF they legislate that teachers can/must be armed then those teachers should get a hefty pay raise.

[Earth_First]

11. No, I understood you; I was only elaborating on my own opinon...

I think the idea is beyond conceivable.

[peacebird]

12. Agree with you. Glad you didn't think I was extoling the "virtues" of LaPierres idea!

[Earth_First]

14. Nope, not at all...

As a parent with a daughter of a high school aged child, I am aware of the potential dangers from both sides of the debate.

However, I am unwilling to allow the hallways of my child's high school to become further militarized to escape more violence with... more violence?

The idea is simply maddening!

An FYI: I am just as opposed to military recuriting in my daughter's high school as I am any other form of violence...

[leveymg]

15. How will they pay for more armed guards in schools? Less teachers, of course.

That takes care of two birds, right there.

[LiberalFighter]

18. Which would cost about a million dollars at least.

And 1 cop per school would not be enough considering all of the entrances and exits in a school. All a person needs to do is determine if there is any type of routine a single cop performs during the day and attack when he is at the other side of the school. That would depend on the mindset of the attacker if they want to commit as much destruction as possible or do some and expect they will die.

[In_The_Wind]

9. Wouldn't metal detectors be less traumatic for the children?

I hate to see guns brought into schools.

[Earth_First]

16. Would they also have to take off their shoes...?

My daugher, a high school aged child and I recently traveled and upon exiting the TSA booths bemoaned the ridiculous behavior being tolerated by having to take off one's shoes...

[In_The_Wind]

17. No

Every time I go into public buildings (DMV, City Hall, Police Dept) I am scanned.
My bag is searched but I don't need to remove anything I wearing.

[leveymg]

13. This is a gunman's employment Bill.

Think of the opportunities for hiring more armed security guards.

[LiberalFighter]

19. There are too many bad security guards as it is.