Arming America's teachers

[Jazzy]

When the school year begins, more teachers will be armed. Since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School more than a year and a half ago, nine states passed laws allowing teachers to have firearms in school.

When the semester begins, only the local police and school board will know they're armed.

An administrator says she chose to go through with the training because she's "from a rural school. And the response time is so slow to get any law enforcement help ... I felt it was important, if I was able to help and do something to protect our kids."

Twelve of the state's districts employ teachers who are getting weapons training at Shield Solutions in West Plains.

Former Highway Patrolman Greg Martin runs the program. "We've taken people who have never really handled a handgun at all and given them this training and turn them out to where they score a 90 percent."

The training includes means five hours in the classroom and 35 hours on the gun range.

Kathy Steinhoff is a high school math teacher in Columbia, Mo. She is very worried about the possibility of teachers carrying guns in school. Her district prohibits teachers from carrying guns.

Many critics say, "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

But Steinhoff believes "...there's more than one way to stop a bad guy with a gun. But if it does take a good guy, then I want that good guy to be a police officer."

Full article

Do you think arming teachers is a good idea or a bad idea and why?

 

[DrLeftover]

Schools should stay a soft target to let the bad guys know they won't have to worry about getting taken down before they can inflict as much damage as they can on those who cannot defend themselves.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I just hope the teachers are open carrying to make a statement we are armed and we will use it.

 

[Jazzy]

I just hope the teachers are open carrying to make a statement we are armed and we will use it.

Doesn't appear that's the case:

When the semester begins, only the local police and school board will know they're armed.

Or maybe I'm reading it wrong?

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I just hope the teachers are open carrying to make a statement we are armed and we will use it.

I'm not sure about that one, Liberty. I doubt that all the teachers will want to carry and if no one knows who is carrying what then they have the advantage of surprise on their side. The most important thing is protecting the children, not making a statement in this case. In my opinion, anyway.

And of course I do not want teachers being forced to carry a weapon they are not comfortable with. But I would prefer it be the teachers choice if they open carry or not. That way any sicko kid wanting to go all nuts is just not sure who has what.