Texas Teachers Packing Heat
By now, you probably know about the rural school district in northern Texas that will allow its teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns to schools this fall. The news, first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has made headlines around the world. Here are some of the more irreverent ones:
"The American school where teachers carry a pen, a ruler ... and a gun"—from the Guardian (Britain)
"Don't mess with any teachers in Texas"—from the New Zealand Herald
"That'll learn 'em—Texas school to arm teachers with pistols"—from the (Australia) Sunday Telegraph
Bloggers, too, have had a field day with the news. DigitalJournal.com weighed in with the headline: "Get Your Gun, Annie, We're Teaching in Texas: Teachers Approved to Carry Guns." But to David Thweatt, superintendent of the 110-student district in Harrold, Texas, the issue of arming teachers is no laughing matter. "When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started," he told the Star-Telegram. "Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em to a dog."
Since the shootings at Virginia Tech, there has been a growing push to allow teachers and students on college campuses to carry firearms for protection. But most elementary and secondary schools have not given serious consideration to the idea. There are obvious ethical and safety concerns. For example, what if a student with a gun confronts a teacher? Or what if a student gets hold of a teacher's gun? Or what if a teacher has a really bad day or a bad month?
The Harrold school district says teachers who wish to carry a gun must first undergo training in crisis management and hostile situations. They also will be required to have a concealed weapon permit from the state and get approval from the district. Reaction from the public has been mixed. While some think arming teachers can save lives, others have called the decision a disaster in waiting. Thweatt says no parent has complained. For him, the matter is one of common sense. His schools are near a state highway that could make it easy for a crazed gunman to enter a school, he says. In such an event, the superintendent believes that armed teachers are better suited than police officers to protect students, especially because the nearest sheriff's office is 30 minutes away. Asked by ABC News if he planned to be packing heat when students returned to classes later this month, he said dryly, "I can't answer that."
Tell us where you stand. Should secondary school teachers be allowed to carry concealed firearms for protection?
Tags: Texas | guns | public schools | weapons | school shootings
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Response to Doug of Ohio
That small school probably wouldn't have had any school shootings anyway.
Looks like it's working great
One year - NO guns pulled - NO psycho teachers shooting kids.
Where do I sign up my kid's school ????
Gun-control freaks
I find it interesting that all of the people who oppose this measure ground their arguments in terms of hypothetical situations. "What if" a teacher goes off the deep end? "What if" a child takes a teachers gun away? The fact they have no concrete facts to point to says more about the veracity of their arguments than they probably would like.
I wonder what these same people would do if given the chance to present their hypothetical situations to the actual parents of real children who have died in real school shootings. If those parents had the opportunity to turn back the clock, does anybody in their right mind think they would object to teachers carrying guns, if it meant the possibility of the shooter being taken out before he got to their children?
ALL school shooting happen in places where they do not expect it to happen. Once it starts, it only ends when the shooter decides to quit or when someone makes him stop. It is sheer insanity to intentionally make it so that nobody in close proximity is capable of making a shooter stop before he decides to. And from the perspective of the students and teachers in the building, there is absolutely nothing worse than the feeling of hopelessness and helplessness that occurs in a situation like that, knowing you could die and that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
Weighing the danger of responsible, law-abiding adults carrying guns in school vs. the danger of one or two wacked-out people carrying guns in school, it's a no-brainer. I would happily send my children to a school with armed teachers, knowing they are safer than students in schools anywhere else.
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