Posted on 03/02/2012 4:39:10 AM PST by marktwain
By now everyone has heard about the Chardon High School shooting that left three students dead and two others wounded this week.
Many believed it was just a matter of time before a school shooting reached Ohio. On Monday morning it happened. This just highlights the need to arm willing teachers to serve as the last line of defense of our children.
While a lot remains unknown about Monday's shooting, had a willing and properly trained and armed teacher been present, this could have prevented multiple children from being shot.
I don't know anyone who would argue against the notion that children are the most precious gift in life.
Nor would any able-minded parent stop at anything to protect their children. Having the ability and means to protect children should not stop when they leave the home or enter school where they will spend more than 10,000 hours to someday be able to graduate from high school.
While some may try to argue that targeting schools for massacres is a new phenomenon that began with the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 that left 12 students and a teacher dead, and 21 others wounded, that's far from the truth. Bath Township, Mich., still holds the unwanted title for being the deadliest mass murder at a school in U.S. history when a man, enraged over property taxes to build a new school, set off a series of bombs. Killed were 38 elementary school children, two teachers, four other adults and the bomber.
There also have been countless other school killings that did not capture national headlines. On top of that, numerous plots have been foiled.
One thing is clear from history: school massacres have happened for many years and will continue to happen. While teachers have received training in how to lock down their classrooms, and police have changed their strategy to have the initial officers on the scene go in as opposed to waiting for a SWAT team, more needs to be done.
It's time we arm teachers who are willing to stand guard between our children and someone willing to harm them. This in no way means arming reluctant teachers, but rather arming teachers who are willing to accept the responsibility.
A teacher willing to take the appropriate training and pass a qualification test could become the one who saves numerous lives.
My proposal would include psychological screening for teachers and a requirement for the teacher to always have a gun on his or her body, not in a purse or bag, but concealed on his or her person so only he or she has access to it.
Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children are safe. When a child is at school, that responsibility lies with teachers and school administrators. To ignore the notion that a person bent on harming children can't possibly strike at "my school" is irresponsible.
To further ignore the chance to do something is even more irresponsible. Hoping or praying it doesn't happen will not protect the country against these killers. What everyone must realize is that a dedicated killer doesn't think like you or me. These people are ruthless and get a high off killing. These killers will keep killing until stopped and that includes by any means necessary, including deadly force.
In the days and weeks ahead people will line up to assign blame; politicians will try to win votes with rhetoric and anti-gunners will blame guns. People always want to assign blame, whether it's the parents who raised the shooter or teachers, counselors, television shows, video games, the suppliers of whatever weapon was used or the media. None of them is to blame. The blame lies with the person who carries out the violent crime and no one else.
It's time we stand up for our children and give teachers the ability to keep them safe, just like we would, so our children can grow up.
Jeff Thomas is a certified NRA pistol instructor and concealed carry instructor.
Leftists would rather have dead children than acknowledge the legitimacy of armed defense.
The one mass shooting stopped like this was the Pearl High School shooting, when the assistant principal ran out to his car, got his revolver, and stopped Luke Woodham from shooting more people.
I don’t know anyone who would argue against the notion that children are the most precious gift in life.
They will not argue that. But we have too many sheep in this Country. They believe the fallacy that the Police are there to protect you. Really? Every citizen carries one around?? Of course not, but years of pound from the liberal media have made the tool (a gun) the bad thing and the killer (human) misunderstood and victim also...
What is America coming to?
The Middle school that my son went to 30 years ago now has 4 Vice Principals and two police officers assigned to it.
None of these were needed when he went there.
It was a fine school, now my Grandkids will soon have to go there and we are afraid for them. Too many Obama voters kids have moved into the old neighborhood.
NO! - Let’s go back to swats when they’re young, practice hard discipline and teach them right from wrong in the first place. Arming teachers will teach the students that’s how you get respect. Bad idea
I do.
In case you haven’t noticed, capital E Evil is beginning get bolder. We’re getting organizations and papers arguing FOR infanticide.
bookmark
All the rhetoric will not fix the problem at the root.
We all remember the old saying, “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. IMO, much of the demise of today’s children goes back to parenting, plain and simple. Yes, I know that not all parents raise their kids the same way but without structure and discipline, nothing will change and the shootings will continue. Like I, many of you were taught to respect laws, respect our teachers, respect others and to follow the “Golden Rule”. Who is doing the teaching now?
We have a President of this once great country flaunting the law and going around our constitution. We see acts of violence on the news on a daily basis so what can be expected of today’s youth? Bad examples of structure, morals, discipline, etc. are being set all over the place. As supposed “grown ups”, we are the ones who must lead the way and direct how these kids will function in our society.
Talking about the problem won’t make it go away.
I can't remember one woman teacher I'd let within two miles of a gun, even that "female" gym teacher.
Times have changed in that respect and today's women are more capable, I think.
Hell, train them all well and the kids too! That's what the II really means by "well regulated" anyway, imo.
Get rid of hoplophobes.
All the talking heads know how to do is talk. So, they apply that solution to every problem, even if the words they are using have no logical content. Repeated propaganda and indoctrination has worked for totalitarian states since before I was born. Alinsky knew that when he wrote his Rules.
Both Utah and Texas have programs in place to arm teachers in schools.
I don't know that being armed gives any better reaction time against a popup attack like this. They would have to be in the right place at the right time. Psycho Kids are pretty canny and knowing teachers were armed would just add to their prior planning. Maybe by shooting the teachers first or locking their victims Iin a room and then shooting them as was done at VA Tech.
being armed is no solution to preventing an attack like this or even mitigating the damage, imho. We do NOT live like the Israelis with armed guards accompanying our students on every bus, every field trip, and standing armed at the entrance to schools etc. It doesnt even stop all the mayhem in Israel.
I am extremely torn with this issue. On the one hand, I do think arming some teachers would have decreased more deaths of kids. However, on the other hand... teachers today aren’t like teachers when I was a kid. The unions have allowed any sort of person to become a teacher. I have heard firsthand accounts of teachers showing up drunk, popping pills, and admitting they are on “medication” for “nerves”. A middle school teacher (at my daughter’s school) has just returned from “leave” after his third account of striking/pushing/throwing something at a student. The teachers that are out of control (defined as you or me thinking that they shouldn’t teach) shouldn’t be allowed a loaded gun near children. In a society where teachers are held to a moral code and not protected by the unions... fine.
“Spare the rod and spoil the child” is based on biblical proverbs.
There were no school shootings before the government took prayer and the 10 Commandments out of the schools.
I guess the commandment against murder was working.
While I’m firmly against the “gun free zone” madness, I have serious doubts that arming willing teachers would do much to prevent tragedies such as these.
An armed teacher might limit the carnage in a Columbine type spree that went on nearly endlessly, but reality is that “this” shooter emptied his weapon rather quickly and was not going to be stopped until he did.
No amount of draconian defensive measures are going to stop this madness, because madness is the root cause.
The answer is to stop raising hoards of self centered, self absorbed dimwits that seek their 15 minutes in this manner.
Instead of giving them perpetual publicity and hand wringing over what made them do it, we should be publicizing what vile, worthless piles of crap they are and making sure that their punishment is sure, swift and in no uncertain terms should the rest of their lives look appealing to anyone else contemplating such acts.
Maybe “biblicaly” so Mike, but if you, like I were raised KNOWING the 10 Commandments and having studied the Bible in Sunday school, our actions in public school conformed. It ain’t happening today. Part of that “up bringing” we experienced (including praying in school) taught us the correct way to operate in society. Not done anymore in today’s world. It’s becoming a free-for-all. Hence my explanation on parenting.
God Bless You!
The Bath School bombing was the worst terrorist bombing in the US until Oklahoma city. One of Mrs Magslinger's neighbors was a survivor.
-——While I’m firmly against the “gun free zone” madness, I have serious doubts that arming willing teachers would do much to prevent tragedies such as these.-——
Don’t forget our fine, pious, Mohammedan friends. Remember Beslan?
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