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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Teachers should not carry guns The school board of Harrold, Texas, has authorized an undisclosed number of its faculty to carry concealed handguns while on school property this fall. The board established its decision through an education code loophole that states “security personnel” must be “commissioned peace officers.” Board members claim that teachers are not security personnel. They are educators protecting their students, which exempts them from being peace officers. This decision has shocked people worldwide and sets a frightening precedent. Teachers have no business carrying concealed weapons while on school property. They are trained to educate, not make life-and-death decisions in the classroom. Proponents of teachers’ carrying handguns to class argue that teachers need to be armed to protect their students from another Columbine or Virginia Tech. They validate Harrold’s teachers’ lack of law enforcement training by pointing out the safety training they must go through to carry concealed weapons on their campus. So what? A couple of safety classes, a concealed handgun license and approval by the district are not enough prerequisites. Weapons in the classroom are much more dangerous than defensive. There is no way to predict whether students will get in the line of fire. They can more likely get hurt by “friendly fire” when someone without constant training in marksmanship and crisis situations pulls the trigger. Another thing to consider is whether teachers will be capable of shooting one of their students if the student is the aggressor. Shooting an unknown assailant is one thing, but a student? There is an extreme chance that teachers may hesitate or completely freeze when faced with someone they see every day. Carrying guns on campus also give students more access to the weapons. A gun accidentally left in a car or desk drawer could lead to disaster if found by the wrong person. Even someone not intending to harm students could accidentally cause the gun to go off if he or she found it. Furthermore, what prevents an attacker from taking the gun by force? Instead of protecting their students, the teachers are providing potential weapons. Alternatives to student protection can be found that are safer and don’t require teachers to pack heat. Security systems with cameras to monitor parking lots and hallways for suspicious behavior are one such alternative. Another is installing metal detectors at all school entrances. The great thing about these two alternatives is they are proactive. They prevent weapons from coming on campus, which prevents death and injuries from attackers and friendly fire. Another alternative is a couple of trained security guards walking around campus keeping an eye on things. Guards are both proactive and reactive. An attacker might think twice about harming anyone if a guard is on hand. And if something does happen, guards are trained and right there to control the situation. That’s their job. The cons of teachers’ carrying concealed weapons on campus far outweigh the pros. Too many things could go wrong. Poster's comment: babbling from my college campus where I take night classes. The writer is no doubt young and obviously has never been around any firearms.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: X-15 (#0)
Basic survival instinct. When the first thought through your mind when looking barrel of a loaded gun is "I can take em bare handed!" go get mental help. Alternatives to student protection can be found that are safer and don’t require teachers to pack heat. Like home schooling.
#2. To: Pissed Off Janitor (#1)
it would be too late ;P
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