Teaching is a stressful job. I can just see a disgruntled teacher shooting up the place. Or a love triangle gone bad ending in a cafegymatorium murder-murder-suicide.

I don't think teachers should take on the added responsibility of armed guard or sniper. Imagine something does go down...if the teacher isn't packing, they will be blamed. On the other hand, if they are packing and things don't go picture perfect, the teacher will be blamed, and possibly face criminal charges for accidentally shooting an innocent kid.

It's going to end badly.

I've said for years that there should be a "Tasers for Teachers" grant program somewhere.  Of course, I've always said it tongue in cheek.  When it comes to a student or parent weilding a gun, a taser isn't going to do me any good.  Someone's going to die, whether its a student, and administrator, or myself.

I teach in a public elementary school.  While I worry about school shootings, its not like I lose sleep over it or anything.  With all of the millions of students and staff in schools, the odds of dying in school violence is very slim.  I worry more about dying in a plane crash than I do in a school shooting.  The best thing I could do in a school shooting is lock my classroom door and hide my kids the best I can.  Or get them out the window, if possible, and there's no perpetrator outside.

I've handled all kinds of guns, and shot them.  I know how to use them, and I respect their power.  And just because I know how to use one doesn't mean I think it belongs in a school.  I've got twenty kidlets to worry about in every way.  I'll do the best I can to keep them safe in an emergency, but I don't want a gun ANYWHERE in our school at ALL.

Sure, lets solve gun problems in school by throwing another gun to the mix. It's bad enough the bad guy has a gun (I figure it's the reason for teachers to have a gun) now we gonna put our children between the crossfire of Rambo and the Punisher? I think this is the dumbest idea ever, kids can be pretty smart now a days and if there is even a remote chance of them getting their hands on a gun in school (hey, teachersd are human and make stupid mistakes too) because the teacher was careless I can't possible imagine who I would sue first.

I can understand your reason for thinking like this but teachers should be focusing on teaching, not guard watching. Or are we now teaching children the best way to fight crime is to shoot back?

Well it has worked everywhere it was tried. Take weapons away from people and only the bad guys have them. In states where people can carry weapons, crime is low.

In Great Briton they banned handguns. Crimes with handguns dropped like a rock. Today they boast seven to ten murders a year by handguns. On the other hand murder by bludgeoning, and stabbing with kitchen knives went up so the murder rate stayed the same just the tools are different. So you now have a choice die by gun, kitchen knife or cricket bat. By the way the end result is still a dead person.

But the issue is whether teachers should be carring guns in schools.

Let me see if I understand your point. You supposedly trust the teachers with your child or children. (I don’t) but you worry because they have firearms to defend those children they are charged with instructing? This I would do. In my opinion most teachers are idiots that can’t pass the testes of the grade level they teach.

The ones that are worth a darn as teachers are also responsible enough to be trusted with my child or children. Those are the ones I want with a gun because they would rather die than see or allow my kids to be hurt. The ones that are like you, afraid of guns, but not like you in the fact that they also seem to be afraid of having an opinion of their own, are the ones I fear. So if this is voluntary for the teachers you will see the ones worth having will also be the ones packing iron. They will also be the ones less likely to be having sex with my kids and having my children’s kids.

This opinion of mine is based off of fighting school boards and having taught grades four through six. People who own guns and have a job that carries with it the fiduciary obligation of that job usually are responsible enough or at least understand the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s children.

Does this better answer your question?

  Then the school district will have to offer training to cover their liability.  I really think this would be a huge liability issue on the part of the school.  Sometimes they seems to care more about cents than sense. 

  I agree. 

lol - exactly 

  I do believe that it is voluntary.  I just don't think it's appropriate or responsible to arm the teachers.  This isn't the movie "The Substitute". 

Paladin is magical. He was a teacher. He's a battle-hardened Marine. High level government official. His daughter had an abortion. He has lurid affairs. You name it, if it helps him make a point, he is or was it or has first hand experience with it!

LOL, you are really nice for even bothering to discuss anything with him, Boudica.

Hey Tex!! I just noticed your avatar is about 18 weeks, too!  Cute pitchas, btw.

Arming teachers is like arming pilots.  A feel good idea until the first panic stricken packer opens up in a crowd with no regard for the background and how far a bullet can fly. 

I think firearms in school would be a definite deterant to shooters, but maybe a trained rent-a-cop or off duty cop, someone who understands more than the TV version of gunplay.

It only works if the packers have training in the handling and use of the firearms. Same with tasers. A weapon in the right hand can save many lives. In a child's hands, it will only end up with more dead. Without training, the teachers (and pilots) may as well be children.

Taught at the Lake Grove School, Long Island NY. The current head master was two grades behind me. his father owned the school before him.



Disabled vet to be exact. Left the Corps in 1988



I currently work as a consultant to DHS on anti terror, that is far from being high level.



She has also presented me with a granddaughter 2 years ago.



I have never had an affair lurid or otherwise.



That’s because I only discuss what I know, what I have done, or what I have experienced in my life rather than digging up stuff on the net postulating what is really happening on the subject with no context or understanding. I notice you don’t challenge anything I have written you just poke fun. Nice.

Charles:

Did you see this:

You know...the part where it says "tongue in cheek." Like I'm kidding? Sarcasm is a wonderful communication tool, and you should learn how to use it.

I view guns in the hands of teachers in much the same way that I view guns in the hands of pilots, one less weapon someone has to smuggle in.  If a student is going to shoot up a school and he/she knows what teachers have guns and which of those are unlikely to keep the guns locked up then it is simply one less weapon that he/she has to acquire and sneak onto school property.  I just see this whole situation as an accident waiting to happen, only in this case the accident can have deadly consequences.

As the husband of a teacher working in Texas I can honestly say that I completely agree with eveyone of your anti-gun sentiments in relation to my wife so long as I now get to decided the security level of your loved ones. Deal? Oh, no? Of course not because the liberal zeal for self-rightousness rarely permits truly considering any alternatives to their close-minded ways. Listen, debate amongst yourselves all you would like and do all of us in Texas a favor; stay out. We have low crime and more tolerance than any of the previous 10 states in which I have lived. We are fine with you removing your children from these schools and moving to whereever you would like because it is likely that yours' are the ones causing the mischief due to their complete absence of moral parental direction. Don't worry about us, we'll take care of ourselves just fine... like we always have and always will. By the way, if your a college student on this post, I forgive you as I know in 10 years you will learn the error of your ways, now go play your little computer games.

LOL, communist.

If your wife feels she's in danger teaching she ought to consider a safer profession. Unless teaching is the only thing she's qualified and capable of doing. In which case, sucks to be her.