Teacher Carry: Yes or No

[Rich Hailey]

I'm writing an article for the News Sentinel discussing the idea of allowing teachers with Handgun Carry Permits to carry their weapons on school grounds. I'd like to get reactions from community parents for the story. If you would like to have your views noted for the story, please email me here with your opinion, along with your real name and contact information. Those replies will be considered for use in the story. For those who would like to respond anonymously, or who don't want their names in the paper, feel free to comment here, and I will provide a link to this discussion in the story.I'd like to hear reasoned responses on both sides of the debate, and I'd also be interested in finding out whether you have a permit or not.

[Jamey Dobbs]

Just curious...do you have any middle school aged or teenage children?

[Rich Hailey]

I have put 6 kids through the school system. My youngest is now a junior in high school.

[Debi]

I contacted you privately. Publicly I will state I agree for those teachers who have permits to carry who also have clear mental health records to carry weapons on school grounds. My reasoning is studies show those who legally have permits are extremely law-abiding and understand gun safety issues. Those legally carrying weapons can reduce death by taking out a gunman sooner rather than later.

To answer Jamey's question, I have one middle schooler and two elementary schoolers.

[Cathy McCaughan]

This idea is just too cowboy for me. Will the teachers be wearing their guns? I can't think of any safe way to store them and if they are stored, they may not be accessible in an emergency. At the very least, there needs to be a specific training and psychological clearance to allow armed teachers and administrators. No, the current concealed carry class is not good enough.

[Rich Hailey]

Have you been through the course? If not, what is your criteria for saying it isn't good enough? And what specific provisions would you like to see added to the training?As for storing the guns, if you'd been through the course, you would know that the law requires the permit holder to maintain positive control of his weapon at all times,which means it must be on his person, or locked up. If I were a teacher with carry privileges, I would have my weapon on my person at all times.Can you justify the requirement for additional psych screening over and above that required to allow teachers to have prolonged access to your children in the first place? Or are you okay with psychologically unstable people teaching your children as long as they aren't armed?As for safe storage, I have three loaded guns in my house right now, and all three are stored where they are accessible to me, but inaccessible to my grandson. As he gets older, I will revise the storage to maintain that situation. There's no reason why the same could not be done in a classroom. You have an active three year old child in your home. Can you keep him out of all the cleaning supplies? It's the same principle.Violence against teachers is all too common in our schools. How do you justify telling teachers they are not allowed to protect themselves?

[Cathy McCaughan]

You have enough experience with the schools to know that there are some teachers who are everything except emotionally mature and rational. Do you think that the training, marksmanship and education provided by the military compares to a one-day class at the armory? I know that adults are capable of safely carrying and storing their weapons around small children. I question the resourcefulness of several hundred teenagers when one or more of them is in the middle of a personal crisis. On the other hand, given the past history of teachers and coaches psychologically and sexually abusing students, why aren't students allowed to protect themselves?

[Debi]

I do not believe the majority of teachers who are uncomfortable with guns will rush out to attain permits based on a simple allowance of such. I accept the possibility but think it would be far & few between. Those who seek permits are almost always those very comfortable with guns and marksmanship. I cannot provide citations of studies, but everyone I know who have permits to carry shoot regularly to keep their skills current.

I think the argument of students carrying weapons is ridiculous. They are children. That said, when I was in high school I did have weapons in my car & my brother's car because of kids going target practicing to friends' lands after school.

[Cathy McCaughan]

It's just as ridiculous as saying that anyone who is concerned about teachers wearing guns in school doesn't want teachers to be able to protect themselves.

[Debi]

I agree & disagree with you. Too complicated to restate, lol.

[Rich Hailey]

You still seem to be okay with irrational teachers having free access to your kids as long as the teachers are unarmed. This makes no sense.

And since you think it is ridiculous to suggest that not allowing teachers with permits to carry is not allowing them to defend themselves, what do you believe are appropriate means for teachers to defend themselves from students?

Fists? Knives? Tasers?

And what specific training requirements would you like to see added to allow teachers to carry? Or are you really just totally against the idea, no matter what?

[Cathy McCaughan]

As I said elsewhere, if there was an additional class offered by the police or military on using a gun in a school setting and how to handle the circumstances that could necessitate that use, I would accept that the teachers carrying weapons in schools are specifically trained to do so. I personally think a medical clearance should be a part of this very specific carry permit as well.

[Marty Koontz]

First of all, your responses to those who disagree with allowing teachers to carry indicate that you're writing from a distinct bias rather than trying to present a balanced view. Though perhaps the explanation for that is simply that you're a good debater and could argue either side of the issue. But second, I have to wonder about situations in which police officers shoot someone who turns out to have been unarmed. If they, who are surely the best-trained among us in gun use, make mistakes in life-and-death situations due to the stress and tension of a situation..........how much more likely is it that a teacher will make a similar mistake? And the problem with such a scenario is that there are sure to be many other innocent-bystander students in the immediate area of such a mistake, any one of whom could walk into the line of fire. It seems to me that the issue is far more complicated than teachers being allowed to defend themselves; it's about putting all students at greater risk of danger.