It is a sad day when society has to consider arming teachers to keep children safe while they are in the custody of public schools; however, that day has arrived.
When discussing the matter, we must first consider the patterns school shootings present.
Most of the people who commit mass shootings in schools have two things in common: they are mentally ill, and they are surprisingly clever. Like other terrorists, mass shooters know that the higher the body count, the bigger the headlines.
These people who commit mass shootings have to know they are not likely to make it out alive. They seem to take some sick pleasure in knowing that their name will be known, however fleetingly, across the country.
When outlaw Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, his reply was, “That is where the money is.”
The same is true for those who would commit mass murder, they target areas where they know their potential victims will be unarmed.
While we are not advocating trading in apples for ammo, it is reasonable to allow teachers to go through the proper training, certifications and mental health evaluations to be allowed to carry lethal defense in the classroom.
Moreover, modern gun safes are compact and can be opened by an authorized user by reading their fingerprint, meaning teachers do not have to have the weapon strapped onto their person at all times.
The CSRA has a large number of retired military personnel living here who might consider a second career in teaching. These are people not only trained to use firearms, but many have experienced actual warfare situations and have the skills to manage such a crisis as an armed intruder walking the halls of a school.
However, no teacher should be compelled to have a firearm in their classroom. Some people are uncomfortable around handguns, and those are not the people you would want to arm.
Schools should also be designed with bullet proof glass and blast-proof locks, which would further make the armed teacher the last line of defense.
It is also our belief that lawmakers and school boards should be extra judicious in how they design and implement such programs. The last legislative effort to allow guns on campus gave college students the right to carry, but effectively not the faculty by disallowing guns in faculty offices. Of course, that legislation failed to accomplish its objective, wasting tax money on poorly conceived machinations that really accomplished nothing.
We need to take emotion out of the debate and come up with common sense solutions to keep our children safe, and if it means responsibly arming teachers, then so be it.
