”Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.”
~Unknown
The question raised in this post is the following:
“Should teachers be allowed to carry concealed weapons in schools to protect children, as well as themselves?”
I am compelled to write this post due to the wave of discussion that is at the forefront of the arguments being made by politicians and school officials, who all appear to be desperately trying to stop the senseless massacres in our country.
This post, as my prior post regarding the laws concerning gun permits/equipment, is not to argue one side versus the other, but to serve as an informational discussion regarding an important and growing phenomenon that has compelling arguments on both sides.
People must consider the extent that schools are trying to protect their children, after the mass shootings that appear to be happening on an increasingly frequent basis.
What is frightening for all of us, is that there appears to be no clear explanation for the increasing frequency of mass shootings, other than there are a growing number of deranged people who are looking to make themselves famous by committing atrocious acts against the most defenseless of all people---children.
Why these acts are directed at school children, in this writer’s opinion, is because children are the most vulnerable, they are in a confined space, there are many of them in one area to allow for more carnage, and the reaction to shooting children results in the shooter receiving the most amount of media attention for an act that is about the worst form of slaughter imaginable.
Pro-gun philosophy
The U.S. Congress once barred guns at schools nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law, with the caveat that state and local communities can adopt their own laws regarding this issue.
The President of the United States has called for more, not less, gun control after the massacre of children in Connecticut via banning assault rifles and limiting equipment that enhances the deadliness of guns. The federal government has very little power over what measures a state passes regarding guns in schools.
In October 2007, the superintendent of a small 103 student school district started “The Guardian Plan.” The superintendent of the “Guardian Plan” allows teachers to carry weapons in the classroom. Participating staff are anonymous and known only to the superintendent and the school board, which must approve each application for an employee to become a Guardian.
As one of the reasons for the “Guardian Plan," the superintendent referred to a police officer who told him that “Ninety-five percent of the time, we get to the scene late.” The superintendent’s response was that “I cannot afford to let that happen.”
The superintendent also stated an interesting thought, “These shooters, even though they are evil and have mental problems, they inevitably know where they are going. They are going where they won’t get any resistance. Let’s put it this way, would you put a sign in front of your house that says, ‘I am against guns. You will find no resistance here?’ That would be a stupid thing to do. You’re going to invite people who like to take advantage of helpless individuals.”
The Guardian teachers must use “frangible” bullets that break apart when colliding with a target. These bullets are glued together with polymers and do not ricochet off walls when fired so as to reduce any chance of a child getting hit.
Utah and Colorado currently do not restrict concealed weapons (in the hands of permit holders) on state universities and college campuses. Further, the State of Utah allows permit holders to carry a handgun in elementary and secondary schools.
As of the date of this post, Tennessee, South Dakota, Alaska, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, Minnesota, and Missouri are all attempting to pass bills that might allow teachers or school staff to carry guns.
Tennessee already has experience with armed school staff protecting children. In a standoff two years ago, a resource officer held off a gunman who stormed into Sullivan Central High School. She was able to delay him for ten minutes until the sheriff’s office was able to arrive and fatally shoot him.[1]
Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, all allow adults to carry loaded weapons onto K-12 schools, or college campuses, with different conditions. Some of these states have the requirement that the school board of a particular location grant permission.
Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, sums up the gun-advocate philosophy as follows: “Gun-toting teachers are a deterrent when the bad guy comes in. He could be surprised by return fire from any direction. We are not expecting teachers to go out and actively engage the shooter. We want them to do the lockdown drill they have been trained to do.” “But it all fails when someone breaks into a classroom. This is where having a firearm would be a better choice than diving in front of the bullets to protect the kids.”
Anti-gun philosophy
In Indiana, a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Education, said that she didn’t know of any school district in the state that allows teachers to carry guns, although it is not prohibited by Indiana law. Gun-rights advocates emphasize that they do not think teachers should be required to carry guns, only that they should have the option and be extensively trained. There are firearms instructors who are offering free classes to people with gun permits, who are authorized by a school, to carry a weapon.
The contrary argument is that the proliferation of firearms on school property is not good for kids. Some of these anti-gun proponents believe that arming a teacher could have serious consequences. The president of the Indiana State Teachers Association stated the following, “. . . where would a teacher keep a gun—in his or her desk or a holster? What if the teacher had to break up a fight? A student might be able to take the gun away. And if a gun is fired, where should the teacher aim to avoid a stray bullet hitting someone?”
While a concealed weapon permit allows the permit holder to carry a concealed gun in public, there are many public areas that generally do now allow a gun to be carried.
These include such venues as: Federal government facilities, State government facilities, Venues for political events, Professional sporting events, Amusement parks, Business that sell alcohol, Hospitals (with very few exceptions), Churches, Municipal mass transit vehicle or facilities, and Airports.
In Utah, a chief lawyer for the Utah Office of Education stated that arming teachers is a bad idea “because teachers could be overpowered for their guns or misfire causing an accidental shooting.”
Ken Trump, an Ohio safety consultant, has indicated that arming teachers is “borderline insanity.”
“I support the Second Amendment.” I believe in concealed carry. But there is a huge difference between my right to be armed to protect myself and my family versus me being tasked with a public-safety function to protect the masses.”
Trump went on to say that “to allow armed staff would be an implementation nightmare.” “You’re asking schools, in essence to operate a quasi-law-enforcement agency, which is far beyond their expertise, and far beyond their capacity.”
Several Tennessee lawmakers have drafted legislation that would encourage school districts to place at least one armed officer in every school and would allow teachers who have undergone special training to bring their personal handguns into schools.
The response has not been popular with the Tennessee Education Association. The Director of Loudon County School, has gone on the record stating that he does not believe that “teachers should have to carry guns to school, and that should be left to the professionals.”
The president of the Tennessee Education Association has further indicated that “teachers should be focused on teaching and not have to worry about trying to stop an intruder.”
State representative Darren Jernigan, who is strongly opposed to teachers with guns in schools, has stated that teachers “have a mentality of nurturing students, a mentality of educating students, but not necessarily of defending them with arms.” “If they wanted to go into law enforcement, I think they would have.”
The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association[2] have both campaigned against the measure of allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons in schools.
Regardless of a person’s opinion regarding the above, it appears that the pro-gun advocates in schools are growing. Time will tell whether this option is successful; however, both sides do agree that lawmakers cannot continue to play politics, argue, and do nothing.
-Leonardo G. Renaud
[1] This Thursday, January 31, 2013, a student opened fire in a middle school, wounding a 14 year old child. An armed staff member, who happened to be off –duty, was able to overpower the shooter and take his gun away. Hours after the shooting, buses loaded with children stopped at a church close to the school, with parents frantically trying to board the buses to find their children. Luckily, the child who was shot in the neck survived the savage attack.
[2] The largest professional organization and labor union in the United States.
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