Senator Wants Firearms Training For Teachers

[Guest Phantom6]

Jonathan Humbert, Legislative Reporter

Nevada Senator Wants Firearms Training For Teachers

March 30, 2007 03:25 PM EDT

With violence erupting nearly every week at football games last fall, along with dozens of weapons confiscated at schools, people are calling for change. But while some are asking for metal detectors to keep guns out of schools, at least one Nevada lawmaker wants to put more guns on campus -- in the hands of trained teachers. Read the entire article here

The LVPD is strongly against the idea saying "Police who enter a school to stop a gunman may be forced to make a life or death decision." YA THINK? What were they going to the school for any way? Oh, that's right. They are going to set up a perimeter, wait for SWAT and the hostage negotiator (25 minute response time to the scene plus 5-8 minutes for set up and assessment). Meanwhile the killing continues because no one is engaging the shooter and pinning them down until back-up arives. I can just about guarantee you that the LVPD does not train it's uniformed officers in "Active Shooter" scenarios as they relate to schools and other "defensless target rich" environments.

[Marswolf]

I've advocated arming teachers for years.

I have a friend, now retired from teaching in Johnson City, who had to rearrange her classroom to make it easier to get out of the room in case of a problem with an armed student.

Having trained citizens in schools with guns makes s lot of sense. That means it will never fly.

[towerclimber37]

:clap:sounds like some folks are tired of trying it without common sense and are trying something new!

[Guest Len]

Mixed thoughts on this one. One the one hand, if the kids are armed, then the teachers should be as well. On the other, it could blood in the halls around report card time! (Kinda joking there, but in all seriousness, I doubt many parents would approve of armed teachers around their kids.)

A guy in Wisconsin introduced something similar in their state legislature last year or so. Was practically laughed off the floor of the chamber. I dont recall NRA taking a postion on the bill.

Of course if I was teaching in some hellish high school somewhere, I might feel differently...

[SkWaShDeM]

I think that the faculty members who can successfully complete an appropriate training course should be armed in the schools. I also think they should have an in-service multiple times a year that provides some refresher training on the subject.

I remember hearing a story about a school shooting in Mississippi that was stopped by the principal who parked a quarter of a mile away from the school so he could keep his gun close by after the law was made that required him to keep his gun at least 1000 feet away from the school. He ran to his car when the shooting started, and ran back to confront the gunman. I can't for the life of me remember the specific details, but it was interesting to me that he was able to run that far. Most of the principals I've had over the years couldn't run half a mile if their life depended on it, let alone the life of a student.

[Marswolf]

We had an incident in a law school up in Grundy Virginia where a guy shot and killed some people. The spree was stopped when some students ran to their car and got their handguns. That's the extremely short version of the story, but the basics.

Someone in the schools should have a weapon for defense of themselves, other school personnel, and the students. This "there will be blood in the hallways" is the cry of the anti-gunners every time letting people protect themselves is proposed. It doesn't happen.

While there obviously should be training, remember that this is for an emergency situation that probably won't happen at any given school. You make the training regimen too onerous and you won't do any good. My feeling is that if you have a handgun permit, that's enough. Encourage additional training, but don't require it.

My concern is more that the handguns be sufficiently locked up that students couldn't get at them. They would need to be locked up properly in some sort of handgun safe.

[Guest jackdog]

I believe it's a great plan that is never going to happen. Mass shootings in this nation to the best of my knowledge have always happened in gun free zones. Gun free zones are just another attack on the second amendment that proves to me that the founders were right and the governmental ass hats have been and will always be wrong for any restrictions to the second amendment.

[Marswolf]

It will take some preventable tragedies for it to ever happen.

One concern I see is that a lot of parents probably don't trust the teachers all that much. I do know a lot of teachers who are - well - different.

[Guest Phantom6]

It will take some preventable tragedies for it to ever happen.

One concern I see is that a lot of parents probably don't trust the teachers all that much. I do know a lot of teachers who are - well - different.

Certainly would require some deep thought. I think back on how some of my teachers in high school would have reacted in the event of an active shooter scenario and have to shake my head. I had an English teacher that had he been allowed to carry or had the desire to carry, his gun would have been PINK and he would have yelled "hold it or I'll blow you ...er, ah... your handsome young stud-butt off." Then there is one of my old Math teachers- he was a football coach and probably would have stepped out onto the hall, set the selector switch to full auto and mowed down everyone in the corridor to get a clean shot on the perp.

[GhostDog]

I think this is the only way to make any difference. The responders, by definition, have to respond which takes time, too much time. School Resource Officers are a good start, but they can hardly be expected to handle this kind of problem alone (not to mention the fact that not all PDs put their best and brightest in SRO positions). I think that it should be optional for teachers who are willing to take a certain level of training and accept the responsibility of carrying the gun on their person at all times. It also cannot be common knowledge within the school (to students) which teachers are carrying. This in conjunction with other measures would help a great deal in case of an "active shooter" situation. Someone must be on scene and prepared to act. Anything else is just too little, too late.

I would suggest that anyone who is interested in this topic (particularly those who are against it) do a little research on the Beslan school attack in Russia. It will open your eyes as to what we might be up against.

I know this may be seen as an "apple to oranges" comparison, but armed teachers has worked well for the Israelis.