POLL: Should Teachers Be Armed with Guns?

Bob_Skurka · May 16, 2007

Bandybear said:
Here is another example of what could (will) easily go wrong. A distraught father/mother involved in a custody battle barges into the classroom to get their own child. Maybe the teacher doesn't recognize them. Maybe the news the night before included a reminder about Columbine or VTech, maybe the teacher is just frightened...maybe the teacher pulls the gun and shoots. Arm enough teachers and it will happen. Just wait.

Just for reference, most grade schools and high schools are locked down. You must be admitted through locked doors. Now a college campus is an entirely different matter because are open ane park like settings. But I know that I cannot enter my daughter's school, let alone go to her classroom, without talking to someone on a speaker and being allowed through a set of locked doors. Once inside I am given a "visitors" badge. This is my daughter's first year in middle school, but her former grade school installed a locked door, intercom system, security entry after 911. Both of these schools are in very safe communities.

My wife is a teacher at local high school in a rural community of 9000 residents. Again, you must be admitted into the school, you are then escorted to the main office. Teachers have magnetic entry cards to get into the parking area, security cards to get into the building, and parking permits must be displayed or the cars are towed. The concept of the open campus is rapidly fading. Most schools are locked down all day.

But nothing prevents kids from bringing a gun into the building. And none of those steps are practical on a college campus.

Gun Free School Zones assure that only police and criminals will be armed. Further, courts have ruled that police do not have the responsibility to provide individual protection. Consequently I believe the politicians who voted for the Gun Free School Zones should be held liable.

MikePA · May 16, 2007

Bandybear said:
I believe most people who use this arguement do not realize the genius of the Framers of the Constitution.

Yes they do, they just think they're smarter than the framers as well as everyone else who disagrees with them.

This is the famous "The Constitution is a living, breathing document." philosophy, i.e., we can make it say anything we want to as long as it helps us achieve our political and social goals.

Bandybear · May 16, 2007

For the record Bob,

I was quoting Island Tractor on that. Everything that is in bold is taken from his post on the subject, my replies are in normal type.

BUT... If you believe nothing prevents kids from bringing a gun into the building, what is going to prevent an adult from doing the same? This person could be acting sane and rational with the receptionist, but that attitude could change when they get to the classroom. Now if you are talking about installing a metal detector, then the likelihood will decrease.

Chuck52 · May 16, 2007

MikePA said:
Yes they do, they just think they're smarter than the framers as well as everyone else who disagrees with them.

This is the famous "The Constitution is a living, breathing document." philosophy, i.e., we can make it say anything we want to as long as it helps us achieve our political and social goals.

Well now, Michael, that's relatively insulting. I don't consider myself smarter than the framers of the Constitution, though I doubt all of them were geniuses (and no, I'm not one of those either) or that they were able to see how society and technology would change over the next couple hundred years. Furthermore, my comment was specifically about using the 2nd amendment to justify carrying concealed weapons. I doubt George, Tom, Ben and the boys routinely carried flintlocks concealed in their knee pants. I don't know how many of them would apply for CCW permits if they were around today. You don't either.

Chuck