Guns for teachers?

October

If a gunman enters a school, should educators be the first line of (armed) defense? A Wisconsin state lawmaker worried about the recent spate of school shootings is planning legislation that would allow teachers, principals and other school personnel to carry guns. For the full story, click “here.”:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SCHOOL_WEAPONS?SITE=MILAN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

You can find an earlier, local story about how educators and residents in the Lower Hudson Valley reacted to the shootings “here.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/NEWS02/610040363/1024/NEWS08

What do you think? Should we arm our educators?

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 3:07 pm by Alice Gomstyn.
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7 Responses to “Guns for teachers?”

Steve C. October 6th, 2006 at 8:00 am
When people are properly trained and taught respect for a weapon its a tool like any other. Gun Laws are for the stupid. People that think its a toy and all you do is point and shoot. If more people were trained and allowed to carry there would be less crime. its the thugs who know you dont have something that pull the gun and do stupid things.. in a society of people carrying weapons a fight is the last thing anyone wants specially on a level playing field. Even if it were allowed you would have advocates against it and religious groups against it. But the NRA would probably fund it. :-]
Paul Latty October 6th, 2006 at 12:55 pm
Guns are for the weak. Period. 9/11 was based on box cutters. I’d like that experience to teach me that it’s not about the weapon, but about the underlying factors that cause these incidents, and the rage of the persons involved. Some are social constructs that must be adressed (e.g. bullying, tyranny, injustice) Some are general crazies. I’m afraid that all guns-for-teachers will do is create another class (currently felons, game hunters, general crazies, and the police) in our society that will seek power through having – and using firearms – under the disguise of self-defense. I am a teacher. Please, don’t teach the youth, though me, that guns have any place in a healthy, thoughtful society.
Steve C. October 6th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Anything can be and has been made into a weapon. Utopia is far away. Keep taking tools away and a pencil will be the next mini spear. Just like nuclear weapons, they wont be just tossed into the garbage and NO ONE will ever make or use them again. When you don’t teach something thats when people get hur,t by not knowing it. As a teacher, you should teach gun safety and the use of guns and yes guns shouldnt be needed but they are and they are used for the following purposes.
By not teaching respect for any weapon thats when they will always see it as a harmless toy.
dave October 6th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
What makes a teacher qualified to carry a gun in the presence of children?

If teachers need to carry guns to protect themselves then there are bigger problems to tackle then teaching the next generation.

As for the argument about proper training etc I leave you with this adage:

You can lead a horse to water…
Jacob October 7th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
Weapons of any kind do not belong in our classrooms. They do not belong near our children. No amount of training or safety protocol will ever eliminate the many possibilities for tragic error that open up any time a gun is brought near a child. Those possibilities for tragic error far outweigh any conceivable benefit. If you are looking for ways to make our schools safer, consider this: Last week three tragic shootings took place in our schools with weapons that were purchased legally. Those weapons were manufactured and transported legally. They fired bullets that were purchased legally, which were also manufactured and transported legally. In fact, it is harder to get a license to drive a car than it is to obtain a deadly weapon in many states. If you want to get rid of guns in our schools, why not make them harder to obtain and more tightly controlled?
susan s October 18th, 2006 at 4:58 pm
If the teachers could carry guns, then we could give them to our kids and say its for thier protection. Who’s to say a kid couldn’t get his/her hands on the teachers gun when they are totally P.O. I for 1 am glad I don’t live in wisconsin, what are these lawmakers thinking? Maybe they will get better state aid?
Jacob: as one comedian put it “charge $10,000.00 a bullet” that will take care of the gun problem,then these thugs won’t be able to afford them, and harm innocent people.
lorie March 18th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Well said, finally a good report on this stuff

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