Senator wants to allow teachers, school administrators to carry guns

Senator wants to allow teachers, school administrators to carry guns

journalstar.com

On the heels of the fatal shooting of an Omaha-area school administrator by a despondent student, Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial introduced a bill Tuesday to allow teachers, administrators and school security guards to carry concealed guns.

The bill (LB516) would allow local school boards to choose by a two-thirds vote whether to allow such weapons on their property. The bill also applies to colleges and universities.

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This is not a great idea in my opinion.

Teachers have a stressfull enough job as it is, and it is not unusual for a teacher to totaly lose it with a kid. At present the worst that can happen is the pupil will get a smack round the head.

I'm not saying that teachers could not be trusted with a gun, i'm saying that it would take a very special type of teacher to be able to carry and teach at the same time.

What if you have a few unruly kids that decide to tackle the teacher? Suddenly you have a kid with a gun.

It's a tricky one. My above comments could be said about the police and the forces too, there are some that should not be carrying because they are not in control of the stress levels and subsequent temper.

Back to the teachers though. How much of their teaching time is going to be needed to go through training, and ongoing training to be able to carry? To hold responsibility like this does not mean a one-off day course that will see you through the course of your career.

Then comes the question, what type of training? Are we going to see our teachers going through basic range practice, or are we talking more detailed drills such as room clearance end hostage rescue?

That sounds absurd just saying that.

At most, if this did happen, i could see them being taught how to engage a suspect initially if confronted with them in the class or corridor.

Personaly i believe that this should be left to LEO's. There is so much confusion going on when an incident like this happens, i think this would just add to it.

Lots of questions.

Any opinions?

journalstar.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

good, shoot a couple them asshole kids and we see what happens.

i don't mind. we could get some nasty battles tho.

blam! blam!

mr. chump has another failed student!

This is not a good idea!

What if a student was to get hold of the teachers gun!

They put metal detectors up in American schools to stop guns from getting into the building, then let the teachers carry a gun in the school!

Im glad my school days are behind me I would have certainly done all my homework if Miss Robinson was waving a magnum 45 around the class room!

reply to post by fooks


Please, i ask you to never apply to be a teacher.

Your point about the "battles" is a valid one though i feel.

If the teachers are armed, i do think that some kids would feel the need to outgun the teacher.

Criminals do it all the time, if the cops are going to go after them with guns, then they'll make sure they are well prepared for anything that comes their way.

At most i would advocate better searches of students coming onto campus, but then again kids are not stupid. They will find a way.

Lets not forget though that is is a rare occurrance (please correct me if i'm wrong). Considering the amount of pupils in the US, and the amount of guns they have access to, this is not a common thing to have to make a kneejerk reaction to.

Yes i know that just one school shooting is one to many. I have daughters who have just started highschool myself, and i can't begin to think about it happening in their school.

Not that i can tell people how to reply here, but i would ask that your replies are as tactfull and as mature sounding as possible. Lots of people read the site, even more after recent events. Calls to shoot students, even if said in jest, belong with a very few select members of society that we read about now and again.

CX.

Has to be one of the worst ideas have ever heard of... Armed teachers are not the answer for many reasons.. Certainly wouldnt contribute to a conducive learning environment with teachers being armed..

Works pretty well for Israel.


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Originally posted by CX
What if you have a few unruly kids that decide to tackle the teacher? Suddenly you have a kid with a gun.

We don't have to be psychic to predict that possible outcome. The cure may be worse than the disease in this case. If they are that concerned to where they feel weapons are needed on campus, they need to hire an armed security guard who won't be so easy to tackle and take the weapon from, and this will also relieve the burden of carrying weapons from teachers.

My belief is most schools don't need an armed guard in campus, though there might be a few in bad neighborhoods that do.

First they want no guns within so many feet of schools.

Then they want guns in the school.

They don't know what they want, all they know is how to pass law after law, ignoring the constitution on their faulty premise of the commerce clause.

The right to keep and bear arms. Both teachers and students, if 17 or older, should be able to carry a gun if they want to.

reply to post by CX


I think this would be GREAT!.....But....with the stipulation that they qualify with their weapons and take C.E. courses every year relating to their use of the weapon.

I was approved to carry my weapon at my job, on state owned property, where most people think it is illegal. I proved my qualifications and experience, I ran it through the proper channels, and it was done. It is always 100% concealed and none of my coworkers are aware of it. Therefore, not only am I armed, I am also a sleeper, so that no armed assailant would realize there are armed people in the building.

If a program for teachers and administrators could be set up in this manner, it would be wonderful. They could only approve the application of the most qualified gun handlers, and there would be an agreement on both sides to keep the approved personnel 100% confidential. Nobody wants to have a bunch of students or coworkers asking them about their gun, and nobody wants to be the first target of a would-be assailant. If the program is set up correctly it would make everyone safer!

ALl of em should carry guns and what gives any of you the right to decide not to
. we each are responsible for our own lives.

Originally posted by Arbitrageur

Originally posted by CX
What if you have a few unruly kids that decide to tackle the teacher? Suddenly you have a kid with a gun.

My belief is most schools don't need an armed guard in campus, though there might be a few in bad neighborhoods that do.

You just don't understand how many violent episodes go unreported! My brother is a teacher at one of the top highschools in the country. He hears about this stuff daily. I can think of 3 incidents in the past year in his rural area. One was a kid with an AK-47, he fired some rounds into the ceiling of the cafeteria, then pointed it at the principal and pulled the trigger, but it jammed. Turned out he used the wrong magazine for the gun! Another day a girl grabbed her best friend and put a knife to her throat, turns out she just wanted to get arrested to get out of her home situation. There are also the random drive by and shoot up the school episodes, usually done after hours or on weekends. And these things are being done in rural, mostly white, mostly middle class schools, and they aren't making the news, imagine how many episodes from inner city schools are going unreported!!

Originally posted by KingArthur
ALl of em should carry guns and what gives any of you the right to decide not to
. we each are responsible for our own lives.

This is only my opinion, but i feel that many pupils are not responsible enough to manage thier own lives yet, especially when it comes to firearms.

Ok the same could be said for many adults.

As i think about this post, in the back of my mind i am thinking of the stories my two daughters come home daily from school with. The constant bickering amongst pupils, the fighting, the bullying, the hate campaighns that can drive a pupil insane with worry, the hormones, the pecking order, etc etc...

Now give every pupil a gun and let them be responsible for thier own lives?

Not the best idea i would think.

Our kids do need looking after by responsible adults, that includes when they are away from the home. Kids like to think they know it all, but unfortunately that it not always the case,

We need to help and guide the kids, not arm them.

Just my opinion though, and i appreciate yours.

CX.

reply to post by CX


I agree with you CX. I am entirely pro-gun, but not for kids! I think all kids should have some exposure to guns, and they should know safe handling for guns, and they should learn a healthy respect for guns, and they should have all their curiousities nipped before they become dangerous. After that, we don't need pubescent teens with weapons! They are not responsible for their own actions yet, that is why they can't drink, or vote, or have legal sex.

Now, as for the teachers, I think any of them willing to get trained and be responsible, should be carrying guns. Armed teachers and/or armed people in general would have saved a lot of lives at Columbine and Virginia Tech and even at the AZ Congresswoman's event.

GetReadyAlready Has some excellent points.

I don't see anything wrong with it. Under certain policies and procedures.

Kids need to learn that guns aren't bad (as was drilled into my head on the left coast.)

Parents need to learn that they aren't bad also... Not everyone can expect 911 to show up in the nick of time.

Usually, 911 shows up to make a report.

They have onsite nurses at schools why not a proven responsible LEO with some nice (deactivated) weapons to show to the would be tough guys/Neo's/Supermen... Let them see their Kryptonite first hand.

Let them understand that a gun merely pokes severe holes in things. They aren't all cool ... They are tools.

The more aware and informed kids and parents become the less fear ... the more confidence.

Whole classes could revolve around the tool that is used globally on a daily basis. For good and bad.

It may also help discipline kids as to proper speech. "I'm gunna kill yo az!" Will mean less when they understand.

There's Drivers Education in school... Many kids proceed to get their license and kill themselves and/or friends or innocents with the vehicle... Drunk and sometimes just wrecklessly.

A car can be way more dangerous in the hands of a teenager. And obviously more readily available.

Guns belong in the public school system along with many other subjects that are sorely missing.

Teachers carrying maybe a bit too far... At least at this point in our dumbed down irresponsible society.

A well thought out road map of education will be a better response than this constant knee jerk half azzd response.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
I can think of 3 incidents in the past year in his rural area. One was a kid with an AK-47, he fired some rounds into the ceiling of the cafeteria, then pointed it at the principal and pulled the trigger, but it jammed.

There were some isolated incidents even in my high school. But I think there are better solutions in some cases.

For example, maybe the school where the AK-47 incident occurred should install metal detectors?

Kids - School Safety: Metal Detectors In Every School?

Thomas Payzant, Deputy Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, stated his position in a September 2002 memorandum: "The decision to use metal detection devices should be based on incidents of weapons in the school or one serious incident."

But I think there should be a serious need to install them before doing so:

The decision to allow metal detectors and other surveillance devices involves legal, psychological, financial, and practical issues. Superintendent Payzant says: "When you run 12-year-old kids through metal detectors, it has an impact on what their views are about the school and its climate." As a practical matter, in a world of finite school dollars, how many dollars should be devoted to security? Should those dollars be siphoned away from the school orchestra? The football team? School-based after-hours programs, even though experts say that these programs reduce crime?

I think the comment about the "impact on what their views are about the school and its climate" also would apply to teachers carrying guns, in a more dramatic fashion. In rare cases it might be necessary, but for the most part it's probably not and other activities would be better, like profiling the students, improving communication of tips about threats and following up on those, etc.

reply to post by CX


Sadly most teachers will never qualify for guns Why? because most teachers are under a lot of stress and taking prescribed antidepressants.

Who do I know I was a teacher for 9 years, while I never succumbed to antidepressants, most of the teachers I knew male and female were hook on them.

reply to post by marg6043


Nah. The cops score just as poorly on stress tests and self medicate to the hilt with alcohol and take prescription anti depressants and anxiety meds.

And they're supposed to be the only ones responsible enough to have them.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


Cops protect their own, when it comes to citizens, is not so easy, Its not going to work, when you work in the school system you find that many teachers are living on the edge.