Would it really be such a bad thing if we stocked our schools with guns? School systems routinely ask taxpayers for money to buy new computers, textbooks, and staff development training -- I propose sticking a line item in the annual education budgets for staff firearms training. Who loves the thought of this? Absolutely no one. I support gun rights and it sickens me that it's come to this, but you know what? It's come to this. I can't help wonder if Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlach, or another trained staffer at Sandy Hook Elementary School had had access to some kind of weapon, that initial confrontation with Adam Lanza in the front hallway might have gone down differently. If educators at that school had had guns and were trained in how to use them, we might be having a totally different conversation today and 26 beautiful, precious lives may still be inhabiting this earth.
You always go through a litany of ifs and maybes after a tragic event like this. If Hochsprung had had a gun, maybe she could have shot Adam Lanza in that hallway, before he even managed to enter a classroom. Maybe she would have shot at him and missed, and taken a bullet herself, but the mere attempt could have caused him to panic and shoot himself before taking another innocent life. The rumor is that Lanza had enough ammunition to take out the entire school, but that he shot himself as soon as he got indication that first responders had entered the building. Maybe the knowledge that schools kept weapons on hand would have deterred him from even going there in the first place.
You cannot force a teacher to arm herself or to even learn to use a gun if she doesn't want to. It's not like you could just add a mandatory gun course to her college curriculum. Using a gun or even being in the same room as one cannot be forced. You need to have the confidence and willingness to operate a gun and pull the trigger if you need to. That's just not a part of everyone's DNA. (Staffing all schools with an armed police officer is also an option here, and is in use at many schools already.)
But I'm willing to bet that there would have been at least one teacher in that school who would have gladly taken on the job as "safety officer" or some such designated title for the school, in the same way that staff are appointed "safety wardens" in the case of fire drills and evacuations.
One of those teachers would have agreed to -- in complete conjunction with the local police department -- take a course, undergo extensive background checks, and be given a key to a locked compartment, where no kids have access, to a weapon that could be used against intruders like Adam Lanza. After what happened on December 14, I'd bet anything you'd find at least one willing teacher at every school.
We can take guns away from the Nancy Lanzas of the world, and even cut down on the amount of illegal firearms on the streets. But the sick, angry, evil Adam Lanzas of the world will still find another way. They will build a bomb from the Internet or use knives or their car. They will continue to come for our kids whether we take all the guns away or not.
So, yeah, let's get illegal guns away from criminals and restrict legal access to assault weapons and anything else we need to do to lessen the chances of a massacre like this from happening again. But then let's ensure it NEVER happens again by putting those same guns into the hands of our teachers. And pray they never, ever have to use them.
Do you support giving guns to our teachers?
Image via zombieite/Flickr
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 52
Shawna, I homeschool, own multiple guns, have taught my children how to shoot, have boys and a husband who hunt, and will be taking my son to the range for his 17th birthday. For the record, in a police state only the police and military are armed, which is exactly what you advocate. An armed citizenry is the very antithesis of a police state.
I would advocate having a police officer or a trained school resource officer to have a gun, absolutely. Our schools have become sitting ducks, and no matter how many gun laws they pass, criminals are criminals for a specific reason...THEY DON'T FOLLOW THE LAW. Disarming the general public only makes us more vulnerable to attack by these liitle sociopaths and entitled criminals who will take full advantage of our disadvantage.
Arming the teachers...well....I suppose if they did a psychological evaluation (similiar to what they do to police officers), and they are well trained, then I would have no problem sending my child off to school with armed teachers. Israel has adopted a similiar policy where aides are armed and there hasn't been an incident since the 1970's.
This is f-ing CRAZY. CRAZY. More guns is absolutely not the answer. Hello, isn't this blog full of posts about random people doing shitty things to children all the time? Parents and teachers included? Why would you want them to have a gun at the ready for the next time they snap??
Not to mention: how many stories are there of schools who can't get to a g-d EPI-PEN in time to save child's life, and that is when there has been a plan in place, teachers notified in advance, the epi-pen is accessible, etc (not to mention there is no threat of violence present to compromise their judgement)? How the hell do you think TEACHERS could possibly handle having to be soldiers on top of their regular jobs?
And no, Doomy, security guards are not the answer either, at least not with automatic weapons still available. Remember the Discovery building incident?