Bet some of them are going to be carrying a gun to plant on students they want to shoot

[RB TexLa]

"Well, he pulled a gun on me and I shot him, there's his gun right in his hand."

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texas school district will let teachers bring guns to class this fall, the district's superintendent said on Friday, in what experts said appeared to be a first in the United States.

The board of the small rural Harrold Independent School District unanimously approved the plan and parents have not objected, said the district's superintendent, David Thweatt.

School experts backed Thweatt's claim that Harrold, a system of about 110 students 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth, may be the first to let teachers bring guns to the classroom.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080815/ts_nm/texas_guns_dc_2

[jojo54]

1. Looks like 6 shooters' are back in style.

[99th_Monkey]

2. Well ... The police do it all the time, why not the teachers?

Oh wait, teachers are dealing with helpless children, not criminals. Nevermind.

[RB TexLa]

3. quite a few of those "children" are criminals.

[99th_Monkey]

4. Then they should be in jail, instead of turning classrooms into jails w/ armed teachers. nt

[BlooInBloo]

26. The notion that that fact justifies a student vs teacher arms race is the height of idiocy.

EDIT: And that's just assuming for the sake of argument that oh-so-many kids are criminals.

[benEzra]

28. This isn't about keeping the students in line, it's about protecting students from outside threats

in a district that can't afford to hire extra security staff, and where the nearest police response is 30 minutes away.

[Donnachaidh]

5. the kids aren't allowed to bring their toys to school

So why then are the teachers being allowed to do so?

You'll never convince me that allowing weapons into a classroom is a good thing to do. It might be something to do in a large city with violence problems -- but a system with a TOTAL of 110 students? Gimmee a break. This is just employees that would rather play with their toys than do what they are hired to do -- TEACH kids.

[madeline_con]

6. O.K. I'm the first one to defend the 2nd amendment...

But a room full of kids and a gun in a teacher's desk?

Good thinking. Way to friggin go. :eyes:

[benEzra]

7. How about a gun concealed on a trained, licensed teacher's person

since the small, rural school has NO armed security (and can't afford any) and the nearest law enforcement response is 30 MINUTES away?

This isn't about "shooting students"; it is about the district's fears, justified or not, of an attack by an armed outsider who would otherwise have free reign for half an hour or more. They're probably worried about something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting

And the police arrived there only six minutes after the 911 call. What if that twisted individual had had free reign for another 24 minutes?

Training a few qualified teachers as volunteer security guards to enable them to protect their students isn't unreasonable in that circumstance, IMO (and given that this is rural Texas, they are probably more experienced with guns than most urban police hires to boot). But hysteria about teachers shooting up the school sells more papers, I guess.

[madeline_con]

11. I was thinking of students getting their hands on the weapon,

not "shooting students".

[benEzra]

13. No one raises those fears about armed uniformed security at schools...

and they are more susceptible to a gun-grab-from-behind because the weapon is visible. But I would imagine that among the extra training that is being required for the teachers who are pulling voluntary security duty, weapon-retention training would be part of it, and you could even go so far as to require the use of retention holsters if you wanted (though that would probably be overkill).

Again, this is not a suburban or inner-city school with 2000 students and metal detectors at the entrances. It is a small, ultra-rural school with only 110 students and zero security that is 30 minutes from the nearest law enforcement response.

[RB TexLa]

12. I wasn't trying to be alarmist about teachers shooting up the place, I don't have a

problem with them having the guns in the situation with training, I know the children in schools today are animals. But just as the ever present threat of a child shooting the place up is there could be teachers do what I mentioned. The training needs to very good.

[bread_and_roses]

16. "I know the children in schools today are animals." Wow. Even for the childhaters on DU

this is a new low, I think. I guess we'd better arrest a few more of those five year olds - incarcerate them when they're young, nip it in the bud and all that. Or maybe just execute them like a rabid skunk that wanders into the classroom - the younger the better - that'll
edit typo

[RB TexLa]

19. I don't think we need to do that.

[texasleo]

8. I just hope the bad guys don't get guns now.

:eyes:

[2KS2KHonda]

15. No chance. Criminals aren't allowed to have guns.

;-)

[SmileyRose]

9. I knew you were the poster before I even looked at the name.

LOL

[JVS]

10. In a district of 110 students?

[benEzra]

14. How many students did this school have?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting

And as I mentioned, the police response time in that tragedy was only 6 minutes, not 30 as would be the case here.

One can certainly argue both sides about this policy, but the hysteria and OH NOES!!!11 are entirely unjustified, IMO. Personally, I think that for their situation, it is a rational policy.

[Deja Q]

17. How have we devolved that guns become necessary in schools, to protect one's self from CHILDREN?!?!

Nor would it be politically correct for me to answer; not to mention repetitive... :(

[RB TexLa]

18. Every teacher I've talked to said they fear for their lives everyday they walk into a school

[benEzra]

21. They're worried about armed outsiders attacking the school, not keeping their class in line. Geez.

Something like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting

And in that case, the police response time was only six minutes, not thirty as it would probably be at the rural Texas school.

How do you feel about uniformed school security with the same level of training?

[Township75]

20. Teachers = Murderers!

"Bet some of them are going to be carrying a gun to plant on students they want to shoot"

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. The sky is falling...

You probably said the same crap about concealed carry, blood in the streets and all that. On problem, it didn't come true.

David

[RB TexLa]

23. No, I support concealed handgun permits.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

24. Then your logic baffles me.

[JeanGrey]

25. Excuse me but do you REALLY believe that? Because I think

that is one of the stupidest things I've ever read on here.

[BlooInBloo]

27. I can't even imagine sending my kids to a place where the teachers have guns. HAHAHA!!!!