POLL: Should Teachers Be Armed with Guns?

[MossRoad]

Since you brought it up, why do we let women drive cars in Indiana

Because daddy is too drunk to drive!

Hoosierdaddy!!!!

 

[MossRoad]

...she also was qualified on the M-16, M-60 and the grenade launcher ...

I could see where that could be handy...

"Hey, honey, they neighbor is bothering me again... "

FOOMP! swish BOOM!

 

[MossRoad]

I love my job. I did not say anything about feeling stressed. I described the way other people behave. The only thing I said relating to my own feelings is when I said that I had a big smile as I told the substitute administrator that I would be glad to have the union send her back into retirement. It was a shock in the early years to see what people in my profession have to deal with. Now it rolls off like water off a duck's back.

Tom,
As I mentioned before, my mom was a teacher at inner city schools. I also have sisters that teach at inner city schools. And I agree with everything you said in your longer post. The stories my mom and sisters have told me would bring a tear to the eye of a stone statue.

One thing of interest... I have known many cops in my youth. I was never afraid of the men with guns, because I was always taught that the police are the good guys and there to protect us. Inner city kids are often taught by their parents and siblings at an early age that police are bad and to be feared. Unfortunately, with the huge populations of inner city kids that are exposed to this lifesyle, I fear that the police will never be seen as the good guys, and that teachers with guns will be seen as bad, too. They will also become the targets of youths intent on getting their hands on guns.

As I said before, I would not be opposed to trained teachers being armed. However, I just don't see it happening, ever.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd also like to take a poll... how many of us TBN members participating in this thread currently have children attending public inner city schools in large (over 50,000 population) cities?

 

[MossRoad]

And one last thing....

I know this is a highly charged subject, and perhaps it has gone on a bit too far. Please tone down the personal attacks or the thread will be locked. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I would not be opposed to trained teachers being armed. However, I just don't see it happening, ever.

Moss, it is ALREADY LEGAL for teachers to carry guns in public schools in at least a couple states. It is also legal for any CCW holder to carry guns (teachers & students) on college campuses in several states. It is just not common.

And one last thing....

I know this is a highly charged subject, and perhaps it has gone on a bit too far. Please tone down the personal attacks or the thread will be locked. Thanks in advance.

I didn't think this thread would continue after the TV news station poll closed and while it has been entertaining to some degree, and informative to another degree, I really do hope that people take MossRoad's warning seriously. There is no reason to attack each other over this thread, in fact we may all learn a bit from it if we both read what the others have writting without reading too much into what they wrote.

This country amazes me. Has anyone considered the downside of introducing guns? Nah, we just wanna make sure there is a slight chance that some brave teacher will stop another Columbine/VTech.

Going waaaay back in the thread to this quotation, Ed does ask a series of questions that appeared to have been written by Sarah Brady of the Brady Campaign to Reduce Gun Violence.

I'm actually very surprised more information was not given to debunk what Ed wrote. I don't believe Ed is an anti-gunner, but it appears that he has been spoon fed the media information that typcially comes from the anti-gunners and simply does not know the real story behind the numbers that the anti-gun crowd uses.

So yes, I did consider the 'downside' of introducing guns. In fact, this summer I will be introducing guns to my 12 year old daughter. Personally I think I am 4 years too late. I think about age 8 to 10 is a good time to start to introduce guns to kids. Not high power guns, but a something like a single shot 22 rifle, under strict adult supervision, for the purposes of teaching respect for life and safety is a very good thing. It is also a fun sport and one that the whole family can be involved in. I conceded to my wife's wishes and waited to this summer. She will fire 22 pistols and rifles. She will learn gun safety, before touching the guns. If she wants to learn how to hunt, she will eventually get to do that, although I seriously doubt she would ever want to do that. My wife and I both grew up in non-gun houses. We both were introduced to guns in our college years. We learned how to "Trap" shoot together and spent many years enjoying that sport together. I can probably count on 1 hand the number of times I went out Trap shooting without my wife, but couldn't begin to count the probably thousand times we did go together. It is a great way to get out of the house, with your spouse/family, to enjoy some time together, in the sun. And it sure beats having kids sit in front of the boob tube for hours on end learning nothing.

What I do know is that people who understand and respect weapons do not have any phobia of them. Furhter, they also understand that armed people (like me, or MossRoad, or Roy or Wayne) are not to be feared because we carry in a responsible manner. Further they learn things like the fact that guns are used to prevent crimes more than to commit them . . . but that doesn't mean that they are ever fired and the bad guy was killed. Surveys and statistics show that 'just the presence' of a gun often stops the crime before it escelates into something worse.

 

[Raddad]

The connection between guns and tractors eludes me.

Fear is the foundation for handgun ownership. Fear of an out of control government, fear of attack, fear of economic collaps, fear of others different than us. My biggest fear is, all the guns in the Fraidy Cat Nation. 3000 children a year are killed by guns in the Fraidy Cat Nation and this is the best handgun nuts can come up with to justify more guns.

If half the gun nuts would kill another gun nut. I would be twice as safe.

 

[LMTC]

I'm actually very surprised more information was not given to debunk what Ed wrote.

Bob, ever since that lie was propagated by Handgun Inc and repeated by the faithful it has been my experience that those who want the truth find it, and those who don't won't listen anyway. I have given up trying to explain to those who do not want to know...they seem to prefer to believe what they believe.

It takes very little poking around to learn that those stats (more likely to be injured by a gun if there is one in the home) are profoundly flawed. They only include actual shootings, making no effort to document reports/arrests where the intruder is driven off or held by the gun owner. They include suicide by gunshot, but do not consider the number of suicides by other method by people who DID have a gun in the house (which reduces the impact of having a gun in the home on potential suicides). Lots of slants in those "stats", but again, I have grown weary of having the truth rejected. Most folks fall on the belief side of that lie because of their emotions, not for lack of available information. They also cite the incidence of under-18 kids killed by guns, but do not consider that the vast majority are known gang members. You know the old saying....there's liars, d*** liars, and then there's statistics.

As someone pointed out in this thread (or another...I'm not going to re-read all of this now), my guns haven't shot anyone today. Nor yesterday. Nor will they ever. They might be USED by someone, but it's always the person. It comes down to a basic philosophy of trusting people to be responsible, or not. There is a prevalent philosophy today that holds that the common citizen cannot be trusted to do the right thing, is not repsonsible, and in many cases cannot successfully manage his/her life without profound government intervention in one form or another. You and I (and many others here) do not subscribe to that philosophy.

Oh, I see another witty post has been inserted. "Fraidy Cat Nation"---now there's an intelligent dialogue that sums it all up. See, Bob? That's why it's not worth the time to try to enlighten.

 

[shvl73]

3000 children a year are killed by guns in the Fraidy Cat Nation and this is the best handgun nuts can come up with to justify more guns.

If half the gun nuts would kill another gun nut. I would be twice as safe.

I would guess (I don't have statistics) that cars kill far more of our youth. Yet it seems most parents can't hardly wait to by their child a car.

 

[RoyJackson]

The connection between guns and tractors eludes me.

Fear is the foundation for handgun ownership. Fear of an out of control government, fear of attack, fear of economic collaps, fear of others different than us. My biggest fear is, all the guns in the Fraidy Cat Nation. 3000 children a year are killed by guns in the Fraidy Cat Nation and this is the best handgun nuts can come up with to justify more guns.

If half the gun nuts would kill another gun nut. I would be twice as safe.

This one is rather offensive...

I suggest you read a little of why the Bill of Rights has a 2nd Amendment.

And, although there are some serious gun enthusiasts (read almost any gun related forum), "Gun Nut" is an extermely derogatory term.