Should a teacher have a loaded gun in a classroom full of kids?

[cynatnite]

Poll question: Should a teacher have a loaded gun in a classroom full of kids?

[slackmaster]

1. Only if he or she has a permit, is willing to shoulder the responsibility, and really wants to

:hi:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. If you let the teacher go armed...

I say let the students go armed too.

[slackmaster]

4. Absolutely

If they are over 21 and can qualify for a permit.

[ulysses]

3. given the amount of shit I carry on my person during the day?

I'm more likely to pull a Sharpie on any intruder than be able to find a gun at a moment's notice.

No.

[mitchum]

9. I agree...

I have enough stuff to keep up with

[LWolf]

10. Good point.

The idea of carrying a loaded weapon into my classroom repulses me.

Even if I were open to the idea, it wouldn't exactly be safe. My "professional" wardrobe is full of clothes with an excessive number of pockets, because of the number of things I carry around with me.

Right now I'm wearing an old shirt that I don't wear to work any more, because the pen in one of the two front pockets leaked all over the front of the shirt. It's fine for barn chores, which is what I'm doing today.

Even with all of the pockets, I'm moving around the room, picking things up, putting them down...the students help me keep track of everything. I guess they could keep track of what happened to the gun I showed up with that morning, too, but....

[ulysses]

11. can you even imagine?

No, me bringing a gun to class wouldn't create an enormous freaking distraction for kids who already have a hard enough time focusing on the issue at hand. No, not at all. :eyes:

[LWolf]

16. A distraction for all.

I'm obnoxiously single-minded when it comes to getting things done.

I have to be; middle-schoolers are professional distraction artists. If I'm helping a student, or a group of students, get from point A to point B, I'm not paying attention to anything else.

Just knowing that I had a loaded gun strapped to me somewhere would distract me from what I actually show up to do: teach. Either that, or I'd forget about it, which might be worse.

The office, and my colleagues, sometimes get irritated because I push the "do not disturb" button on the phone and then "forget" to take it off. All day.

I'd never notice if a student pulled the gun from its holster while I was helping someone. I'd probably get irritated at the extra weight and space it took up, take it off and set it down somewhere, and then forget where I set it.

I do that with my glasses all the time.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. They are excited enough about my iphone

I can't even imagine trying to keep their attention with a gun strapped to my waist. LOL

[minavasht]

105. YOU have memory issues

You will not remember where your gun is, so nobody else is allowed to carry guns.
By the same logic you will forget to turn the autopilot on, so nobody else should be allowed to be a pilot?
You will not remember to disengage the emergency brake, so nobody else should be allowed to drive?
Because YOU cannot handle safely a gun you assume that everybody else is the same.

[LWolf]

117. You have issues with thinking skills, reading comprehension, and logic.

Being single-minded about my purpose, which does not include shooting people, or threatening them with guns, is not the same thing as having "memory" issues.

Opposing guns in the classroom is not the same thing as denying people the right to bear arms.

If I were a pilot, I would have no trouble dealing with every facet of that responsibility, including "autopilot." I also wouldn't have to worry about large numbers of young people moving around my cockpit, and commanding my attention.

As a matter of fact, I was married to a pilot, and while I have never used autopilot, I have spent some time at the controls in a few small, single-engine planes.

I have no trouble with the emergency brake when I drive. When that's the job, that's where my attention is. Not that I've ever used the emergency brake to drive, lol. The point of remembering the emergency brake is to release it before driving the vehicle.

I also never said I couldn't handle a gun safely. I don't think a classroom, unless it's a class teaching something about firearms, is an appropriate place for a weapon.

It's my job to focus on the students in my classroom, and their needs, when I'm in that setting. It's not my job to play Rambo.

Simple enough.

[minavasht]

122. I am sorry

It seemed to me that you needed the help of your students to remember where your belongings were.
On the other hand, I am sure you wouldn't mind police officers with guns in school.
I've met a lot of cops and only a handful shoot more than once or twice a year. Especially school resource officers.
Every CCW holder I know shoots at least once a week.
Seems simple enough to me too.

[LWolf]

124. I do need help keeping track of where I left my glasses sometimes.

That's because I don't sit behind a desk. I'm out in the room, constantly moving from table to table to engage students. I need glasses for distance vision, but not for close work. So I'm always taking off my glasses and setting them aside for the work at hand. When I need to look across the room, I may have left them behind.

It doesn't bother me when officers are wearing their gun on campus. It would bother me if they were there patrolling the grounds. That's not what they are there for. They come on campus for community outreach and for teaching programs.

Living rurally, many of my students own guns and shoot them regularly. I lose a large percentage of students each fall for deer season, and I've had a couple of students who've won skeet shooting competitions. I don't want their guns at school, either.

Happily, that's not a problem. Cell phones and Ipods are a problem. I'll deal with those over guns any day.

[Maat]

19. HeeHee.

A Sharpie could be a dangerous weapon ....

:rofl:

[cliffordu]

5. Poetry teacher strapped, Film at 11

[Ezlivin]

6. Yes, particularly in a room full of kids

You just don't want to go into a classroom full of kids unarmed. That would be crazy.

I can't recall how many times our homeroom teacher was able to quiet down unruly teens with a couple of well-placed shots. The teacher's lounge always smelled of coffee and gunpowder.

[Bluebear]

7. :)

[JVS]

8. With the powers reading and math a classroom full of kids IS a loaded gun!

:silly:

[damntexdem]

12. No, not even when the classroom is empty of kids. Nor unloaded.

No gun at school at all.

What idiots the NRA thinks Americans are.

[aikoaiko]

13. Poll: Should the state prevent teachers from having tools to help protect students' lives?

or their own lives?

:shrug:

Texas has a pretty comprehensive permit process. I would feel comfortable with putting my child in a Texas classroom with an armed teacher.

I would feel comfortable carrying a concealed weapon in my own classroom.

[Donnachaidh]

14. So you're saying that EVERY teacher in Texas has had a full psychological workup?

And absolutely NONE of them would ever be in the position to SNAP under stress?

And there would NEVER be a situation where a teacher might be jumped by a group of kids who were looking to get his gun?

Personally, I think any teacher who feels the need to carry a gun into class should have their teacher's credentials revoked for LIFE.

Unbelievable. :puke:

[Irreverend IX]

26. Millions of people are already carrying concealed guns in the US...

How often do you hear about them "snapping?" CCW permit holders have been found to have a much lower crime rate than the general population in every state that keeps track. If someone is so unstable they're capable of going berserk and killing students under stress, they shouldn't be teaching in the first place.

[RC]

40. I take it you have never taught in a class room.

Just how are you going to root out that person before they 'suddenly' snap and Off The Problem in their classroom? Some people can hide their feelings quite well, while others may talk about doing something, but never do. How do you tell them apart before they unload their weapon into someone?
Guns do not even belong in schools. If nothing else, it sends the wrong message. "Lookie, the teach gots a gun man! We must be some mean motherfuckers, huh?" Yeah, like that'll help the discipline.

Good teaching relies heavily on Psychology. Use that to get the kids to do what you want, even if they think that's not what you want. Most kids never really catch on. Guns in the class room means you and/or the school has failed. If it gets that far, remove the threat from the school, don't weaponize a school for children.


Edited to add: What a sorry state of affairs that this is even a topic of discussion.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

106. So armed police in the school is indicative of failure of that school?

Sounds like we need to close a lot of schools.

David

[aikoaiko]

47. I'm not worried. Teachers by and large want to serve and protect their students.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

104. I think you may want to reread his post.

He said the process for obtaining a concealed carry permit was strict not the hiring process for teachers. If you really believe in punishing people for disagreeing with your viewpoints then you may be on the wrong forum.

David

[Truth4Justice]

123. Total insanity! What other country allows guns in the hands of teachers?

[cynatnite]

42. You'd think Texas would invest in some metal detectors n/t

[aikoaiko]

48. That would be a good thing too, but so is allowing the permitted teachers carry.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

53. When those tools place children in immeasurably more danger than they protect, of course it should.

Guns in classrooms will kill far, far more people than they save lives.

I would never allow a child of mine to attend a class where the teacher carried a gun, and I would consider a parent who did to be acting irresponsibly.

[JerseygirlCT]

74. Exactly. I feel the same. nt

[MicaelS]

82. Absolute Rubbish

That Guns will kill far, far more people than they save lives crap is the same sort of hysteria anti-gun people spouted when we here in the US were trying to get CCW laws passed in the US. "Ohhh, there will be rivers of blood in the streets, and bodies stacked up like cord wood. People will be having shootouts over parking places, and fender benders." Guess what, none of those happened.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

102. Um, yes they do - tens of thousands of Americans are shot to death every year.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

107. Sorry you are just plain wrong.

Concealed carry permit holders don't even kill hundreds of people a year much less tens of thousands. Not to mention the fact that you are including suicide numbers to support your argument, which is disingenuous at best.

David

[Donald Ian Rankin]

114. No, even without suicides it's still somewhere over 20,000, IIRC.

Plus a goodly number of those suicides almost certainly wouldn't have killed themselves if they hadn't had such an easy way to do it.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

125. Still wrong and again not by concealed carry permit holders.

In 2003, there were 11,920 homicides by firearms as opposed to 43,340 deaths from motor vehicle collisions, 19,457 deaths from unintentional poisoning and 17,229 deaths from unintentional falls. It is impossible to say whether or not the people who committed suicide would have if they hadn't had access to firearms. Pills are also very easy to come by as are tall buildings.

David

[aikoaiko]

100. I don't know if you're correct about the danger. Most teachers care very much about their students

...and wouldn't harm them.

You say you would never allow a child of mine to attend a class where the teacher carried a gun, and you would consider a parent who did to be acting irresponsibly, but do you feel the same way about your children with police? How about boy scouts? Families with hunting rifles?

Come on. Your child is more likely to be killed in your car than by a gun. Get a grip on the fear mongering.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

103. If the police here carried guns regularly, I'd be far more wary of them.

Saner gun laws is one of the reasons I'm very glad I'm British rather than American.

Cars kill about 1.5 times as many Americans in total, but far fewer per hour of use, and have far more legitimate use. I'd teach any child of mine to be very careful indeed when crossing roads, too.

[JerseygirlCT]

73. Yes. Although your question is incredibly loaded.

A gun has no place in a classroom, period. It's every bit as likely to cost someone a life as it is to "save" one.

And parents have a say here, too. I don't want my children around guns, ever.

[MicaelS]

76. So I guess that rules out

You ever having the police over to your house in case of emergency, right?

[aikoaiko]

98. As was the original question -- that's why I stated it the way I did.

I'm a parent and I would be fine with a licensed or permitted person having a weapon on campus or in the classroom.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Hell no to the tenth power here!

[Nikki Stone1]

17. Absolutely not.

Why is this even a question?

[TexasObserver]

18. Probably the worst idea regarding education EVER.

The fallacy is that the students wouldn't take the gun away from Bill Hickok or Annie Oakley and shove it up his or her ass.

Do prison guards wear guns when they're milling about the prisoners? Not a chance.

Use metal detectors and other measures to stop all guns except those on police officers from being on the school grounds.

[NightWatcher]

21. I'm a raging GUN NUT and I say NOOOOOO!!!!

teachers are there to guide the kids not scare them.

If the teacher is scared of the kids, they should quit

[earthlover]

28. I couldn't agree more!

I would go further and say anyone who is such a wimp as to think they need a gun to be in school as some serious mental issues. But that is just me. A veteran of 12 years of teaching

[benEzra]

34. Has nothing to do with being "scared of the kids."

It appears they are concerned about having the school shot up by an outsider. The nearest law enforcement response is HALF AN HOUR away.

This is ultra-rural Texas, not Suburbia.

[Fleshdancer]

22. My child would be pulled from the school if I found out her teacher carried a loaded gun

Loaded guns near kids? That's nuts.

[tnlefty]

39. That was my first thought, also.

Not just no, but hell no.

[isentropic]

59. What about armed school security guards? Are you afraid of them too?

??

[pipoman]

108. You'll never get an answer to this very reasonable question from

anyone responding 'no'. Even though most 'rent-a-cops' are either cop wannabes who couldn't qualify or cops who were dismissed, and most haven't an education beyond high school, a lot of the 'no' miesters wouldn't think twice about their kids being in the presence of an armed security guard.

[Fleshdancer]

112. never say never I guess

I don't know many people here who would be comfortable with their kids being in the presence of armed security guards. :shrug:

[Fleshdancer]

110. I personally don't want guns in schools. Why would I?

However, comparing a member of law enforcement having a gun for the purpose of carrying out the duties of their job to a teacher who decides to bring a loaded gun to school doesn't make much sense to me. The two scenarios are completely different.

[pipoman]

115. As has been demonstrated time, and time, and time again

signs and laws prohibiting guns in schools have absolutely no deterrent effect on nuts who wish to kill innocent kids and teachers. A sane, responsible adult with a defensive gun OTOH...

[LanternWaste]

128. Try not to confuse fear with prudence.

Try not to confuse fear with prudence-- there are precise and relevant differences between the two.

[Bucky]

23. As a teacher, I'm torn in two directions on this issue

While I know one of our biggest problems in the education field is over-crowded classrooms, I can't help but be cognizant of the fact that my salary depends, in part, on average daily attendance rates. For every kid we "lose" with this new approach to school safety, my salary could be cut.

[BlueJazz]

24. I think it's a good idea. We HAVE to do something about classroom Discipline

"Mrs.Walters?..You remember we had some trouble with Johnnie disrupting class?"
Why..Yes...I remember
"Good News...the problem is solved...But..ah...Johnnie will be late getting home from school today...very, very late.

[SidDithers]

25. Where's the choice for Oh, Hell NO!...

I guess No will have to do.

Sid

[baldguy]

27. The first child to die will be an accident.

The second will be intentional.

Firearms should not be in the classroom.

[bemildred]

29. Does it have an educational purpose?

I mean, why not a bullwhip?

[slackmaster]

37. It would in a gun safety class

:D

[bemildred]

41. But it could be a "distraction" in the Algebra class. nt

[Evoman]

30. Only if you make the schools sound proof. I don't want my sleep interrupted.

[Swamp Rat]

31. Yes, if folks don't mind the increased risk of students and teachers getting killed

1. Determined students can and will overpower teachers to gain access to the weapons.
2. Teachers who lose control of their temper, or have a psychotic break can and will kill students and/or other faculty.

If teachers are allowed to have guns, then ALL the students should be allowed to bring guns to school. No way would I go to school and sit in a classroom knowing only my teacher was armed. If schools are to be 'high security zones', then only well-trained security personnel should be armed.

[Hangingon]

49. Risks?

The district is not concerned with threats from the students. They are concerned because the district is remote and LEO response is too far away.

Teachers who lose control of their temper should not be teach - armed or not.

Texas law does not allow anyone under 21 to have a concealed handgun license.

Lacking trained security personnel, the district is offering teachers the option of carrying a weapon for defense of staff and students. The teachers must be licensed and trained.

[Irreverend IX]

32. For those saying no...

Are there any actual incidents you can point to to justify your opposition? Lots of schoolteachers carry guns in Israel, and somehow they've managed to avoid shooting students in fits of rage or having their guns stolen. Remember, this isn't about having every teacher carry, but allowing teachers to carry who've passed the background checks and training courses required to get a concealed carry permit. Data from multiple states has shown that CCW permit holders have much lower crime rates than the general public, particularly when it comes to violent crime.

[ulysses]

45. there are no incidents I can point to

to justify supporting the idea.

[isentropic]

62. You do not consider events which may well have been prevented or at least minimized

to be examples?
:wtf:

[ulysses]

64. I consider that an armed teacher might well have made those events worse.

[Name removed]

83. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ulysses]

85. I'm not interested in hypotheticals that stand a strong chance

of inadvertently harming a child. If you think that makes me a Republican, then go on with your bad self.

[Name removed]

90. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

97. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

130. Concealed Carry Permit holders don't have a history of injuring bystanders in these incidents.

I don't think your strong chance is supported by history.

David

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[Obamanaut]

35. Yes. An unloaded weapon is just useless weight. nt

[JVS]

36. No. Unloaded is enough for the proper pistol-whipping.

;-)

[blues90]

38. I think it's an insane idea

So now there can be a shoot out at Ok elementary school. I can't think of one situation where a gun in a classroom would work out well for anyone.

[mudesi]

43. How about banning everyone who votes yes? (nm)

[Sanctified]

44. What about Police Officers, should they be required to remove their Gun

when entering a room full of children?

[Paladin]

55. If That's Your Idea Of A Persuasive Argument.....

....do yourself and the rest of us a favor and stay away from guns.....

[isentropic]

57. You forgot the sarcasm smilie.

:eyes:

[Paladin]

60. Gee, A Gun Advocate Who Doesn't Understand Sarcasm.

A. Imagine my shock! (Helpful Hint: This IS sarcasm.)

B. Putting forth the notion that anybody who credits school teachers with having better gun-handling skills than police officers probably doesn't have sense enough to be trusted with firearms themselves. (Helpful Hint: This IS NOT sarcasm.)

(This space reserved for standard gun nut response that law enforcement officers are just a bunch of donut-gorging dumb fucks, with hardly any firearms training, in comparison to a heroic gun-bearing citizen.)

[isentropic]

61. I keep forgetting the ongoing pandemic of armed school security guards

having their guns stripped away by hordes of marauding 9th graders who go on to rape and pillage entire communities with their newly acquired firepower...

[Paladin]

63. Not Much Point In Having A Battle Of Wits With Someone Who's So Clearly Unarmed...

n/t

[isentropic]

84. It is my sincere hope that being a comedian isn't one of your considered career choices.

---

[Paladin]

91. Always Glad To Get Expert Advice From A Gun Nut On Comedy.

Coming up next: Madonna on the joys of virginity and George W. Bush on effective public speaking....

[Sanctified]

68. If people distrust teachers with firearms how can they possibly trust them with children.

Seriously, we are talking about individuals who would have in their possession an instrument that is less dangerous than the vehicle they took to get to the school. These are highly educated individuals who have passed background checks and have had CCW training, I would trust an armed teacher with my child more than armed an police officer.

[Paladin]

79. And If (God Forbid) Your Child Is Ever In A Car Accident....

....will you tell the cops and emergency crews to back off while you wait for help from an algebra teacher? Specialized professional expertise has some meaning and virtue to most of us.

[Sanctified]

81. Never said that, but if the tables were turned in your scenerio.

I would hope that an Algebra teacher could offer assistance till the emergency crew arrived.

[isentropic]

87. When seconds count, the police can be there in minutes!

...

[isentropic]

86. You cannot reason with gun-grabbers...their minds are so open, all the brains have fallen out.

Most of them despise the government on one hand and on the other think nobody -but- them should be allowed to have a gun.
It boggles the mind.

[Monk06]

46. Well if the teach be packin teh kids be packin. Experience tells me the teacher will lose.

[isentropic]

58. It's awfully early in the day to be smoking that stuff...

:shrug:

[Monk06]

119. It should be obvious that I was joking. It's a reference to the uncanny ability of kids

to frustrate a teacher's authority.

We had a teacher in tenth grade, an American
actually who used to pull out a piece of rubber
stair tread and brag about how he used it as a
strap when he taught in the US.

He was teaching in Canada so his kid could avoid
the draft.

We just laughed at him and any other teacher that
tried to pull off that 'I'm the boss' crap.

[mitchum]

50. I imagine that administrators would be against this...

for self-preservation reasons

[MiniMe]

51. I would be worried that some of the teachers

might be tempted to use it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

52. Couldn't they just make the tykes go stand in the corner?

Or, whack their knuckles with a ruler?

[A HERETIC I AM]

54. Sure. Cause one of them might be named Billy.

And you know how unruly kids named Billy can get.

[isentropic]

56. No! Schools are gun-free zones which is why nobody has ever been shot in one.

!!111!1!11!!

[KG]

65. not just no, but hell fuckin' no.

[ulysses]

66. look - if I'm teaching and I hear gunfire or they lock down the school,

my first and only thought is to make sure that the kids in my class are safe. There are procedures for this and we're trained in them.

Do they guarantee that no one would be harmed by an intruder intent on killing people? Of course not. But my job is to stay with my kids and, to the best of my ability, keep them out of harm's way. My job is not to play at the fucking hero.

No offense to the OP at all, but the fact that we even have to have this discussion is ridiculous.

[isentropic]

88. Let me think about that...if I were a kid in the classroom, a madman is down the hall shooting kids.

which would I rather have, a teacher who is a craven coward.....or one with a gun and is willing to defend my life.
Man, that is one really tough choice.

[ulysses]

92. coward?

LOL! You lose. :D

[Name removed]

93. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ulysses]

95. chickenshit because I don't feel the need to go to work armed?

Who's chickenshit?

Back later.

[isentropic]

96. You're only willing to go a little way to defend children. How virtuous.

:eyes:

[libodem]

67. I hate the thought of it

but no one will care until said teacher blows off someone's head for talking in class. I wouldn't want to show up tardy there.

[Rocknrule]

69. "Sit down and shut up or I'll bust a cap in your asses, children!"

No, they shouldn't

[donco6]

70. Probably the stupidest idea in the history of education.

14 years of experience in education here.

[LostInAnomie]

71. Sure, what could possibly go wrong?

I mean, kids have never been known to steal things. Everyone that reacts in a crisis situation is an expert shot. By-standards never get hit by errant bullets. Guns never accidentally discharge. People never misread or over-react to situations. Every person that owns a gun is responsible and never mishandles or misuses it.

What could go wrong?

:sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[JerseygirlCT]

72. Guns and children are a very, very bad idea. No way. nt

[MicaelS]

80. Absolute, utter, total, complete, rubbish

I was in High School JROTC for 4 years. We had a 50ft Small Bore (.22) Rifle Range right there in our high school ROTC department. We never, and I mean never had anyone injured. I went to Summer Camp between my Freshman and Sophomore years, and we got to fire M14 rifles on the outdoor rifle range at the camp. These were full size Army rifles, firing 7.62mm NATO rounds, which would kill in excess of 1000 yards. They had been standard Army issue rifle in the late 50s. Once again we had absolutely no injures.

Proper supervision, and following all safety rules is the key. Making blanket statements like yours are absolute rubbish.

[isentropic]

89. I and all my friends had our own guns from the age of around 8 or 9.

None of us ever once killed any person or even had a mishap. (The game animals were not so lucky.)
So take your broad brush and use it on republicans or child molesters or something else, sweetie.

[SocratesInSpirit]

75. There was an interesting article in the

Chronicle of Higher Education about this issue, written by a former police officer (sorry no link, I had a paper version only, and the website charges a subscription).

He said the choice to carry a gun in the classroom should not be made lightly. There are several practical, ethical and legal issues that must be considered, including:

- Is the teacher psychologically prepared to kill another human, albeit in self defense? This is not so easy as some might think.
- Is the teacher prepared to train with the gun so they can fire accurately and not kill an innocent bystander?
- Is the teacher prepared to keep in top physical shape so the chance of having the gun taken away by force in a fight is minimized?
- Is the school/institution prepared to defend the teacher against potential lawsuits, should the teacher accidentally kill an innocent bystander?
- Where will the guns be kept, if not on the teacher's person? What steps will be taken to ensure that potential murderers can't get to them?

This is not an easy decision or a simple issue.

[Earth_First]

77. abso-freakin-lutely NOT! n/t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

78. Sure it would be a lot easier to deal with kids who misbehave.

[tjwash]

99. Hell yeah! This is gonna end well somewhere.

Giving guns to people with stressful, thankless, underpaid jobs is an awesome idea!

Next we can arm the food service industry and public servants. :woohoo:

[underseasurveyor]

101. Sad that this question has even come to mind

Generally speaking of course.

A resounding *NO* for my answer.

[pipoman]

109. Most of the 'No' respondents would likely

be crying crocodile tears, screaming, and gnashing their teeth if this same school would have a deranged, recently fired, custodian show up and start shooting children and it took law enforcement 30 minutes to get to the scene only to sit outside with guns trained for another 2 hours. If there are never any nut cases threatening the lives of students at this school, we will never hear another word about this school.

[Forkboy]

111. Yes, and it should sitting right on the teacher's desk when the students enter the room.

Let's see how much lip we get from the little bastards then!

[napi21]

113. The average person doesn't react to a shooter like a cop is trained to do!

If teachers were armed, the first person a shooter's gun would be aimed at is THE TEACHER! Self preservation and fear take over, and that teacher would instantly put their hands in the air. Second, the shooter would take the gun away from the teacher!

I honestly don't think we want to train all our teachers to be police officers, and that, IMO, is what people are asking for when they want to arm all teachers!

[isentropic]

118. Nobody has proposed arming all teachers. Good God, can't you people read?

:eyes:

[virginia mountainman]

116. If one can pass competency tests in regard to carrying

Why not?? As long as it is the teachers personal choice.

The "gun free zone" is proving to been an unmitigated FAILURE.

And I can think of two recent cases where guns, used by school staff, or students, came into play, and STOPPED a school shooting.

Pearl Miss, and the Law School shooting in Grundy VA.

Only a dumbass would keep doing the same thing, over and over, expecting a different result

[Stinky The Clown]

120. Only if the kids can be armed, too

That was sarcasm.

This is among the dumber ideas I've heard of late.

[Iggo]

121. Depends on the kids.

:sarcasm: <------ for the challenged.

[YvonneCa]

126. This is VERY BAD policy...

...and it is dangerous for both children and teachers. The article mentions some very good questions that need to be both asked and answered:

1. "What are the rules for use of force?" You are going to have adults with guns who have varied ideas about when to use force. Even the police have trouble with this and they do have rules...usually.

2. "Or how about weapons-retention training? Because they could go in to break up a fight in the cafeteria and lose their gun." Kids are smart...this news will become common knowledge among students. Some might even think it 'cool' to get a teacher to show a gun...like they are tough. That escalates any conflict...from an everyday squabble , to a life or death situation.


School board decisions require careful policy implementation...and in my experience (teacher here ) it rarely happens. It would be interesting to see how teachers feel about this new plan. I'd bet MANY are against it. IMO this has come as a direct result of all the fear-mongering of the last few years.

If I were a parent in that district, I would pull my children out immediately...and say why. Oppose this wrong policy. This makes their campus LESS SAFE.

[Joe Fields]

127. It floors me that 33 people said yest to this question.

[TrogL]

129. No, it's too easy to get disarmed

Teachers often need to be in close contact with students for example to look at their work or point out something in the textbook. It's easy enough for a student to reach into a concealed carry holster, especially if the student behind grabs the teacher's arms.