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One local gun advocate believes it indeed is possible for teachers to handle guns inside school buildings. But Wildwood resident Marc Perez said anyone who carries a firearm must assume a certain degree of responsibility.
"In a 'crowd' like a school for a teacher, a significant, professional and extensive additional training would be required for a teacher to carry a firearm. Once an intruder enters a school with the intent to do harm, the police are minutes away while the threat may begin within seconds. The math does not add up," said Perez.
He said there are instructors available with the proper credentials to give such training in the St. Louis metropolitan area. As a National Rifle Association (NRA) Certified Range Safety Officer, Perez also serves on the board of directors for the Missouri Sports Shooters Association.
Patch asked Perez if he was afraid innocent students would somehow get to such guns at school, and harm themselves or others. "Should teachers indeed have a firearm in school it must remain on their person at all times," was his response.
He said there are many ways to conceal a firearm. "Which teachers do have a firearm must be kept secret from students and fellow teachers, no exceptions."
Perez said proper education is the key to a successful emergency response program. "Students must not have the opportunity to gain possession of a firearm in school."
Regarding locking guns away in drawers and whether individual teachers who had those gun would have enough time to get to it to protect themselves and their students under intruder situations, Perez said no lock is 100 percent secure. "If indeed a situation came about which justified or required the use of deadly force, the firearm must be engaged quickly. Seconds count; there may be little time to get a key, place it in the lock, turn, open the drawer, remove the firearm and engage."
Some Texan Teachers Adopted Gun Protection Years Ago
Texas Gov. Rick Perry urged school districts to review their plans to ensure they are prepared to respond to incidents, such as the horrific shooting at a Connecticut elementary school Friday, according to an article published Friday in the Star-Telegram.
The article points to a tiny school district in northwest Texas where besides special locks and security cameras, an undisclosed number of staff members and teachers carry concealed handguns.
David Thweatt, superintendent of Harrold school district, told the reporter the "guardian plan,"—which drew international attention when it was implemented in 2008—definitely enhances student safety.
"Nothing is 100 percent. But what we do know is that we've done all we can to protect our children," Thweatt told the Star-Telegram reporter.
When Harrold representatives adopted the plan, it was the only known public school district in Texas and the U.S. that allowed staff members and teachers to carry concealed weapons. It was 20 minutes from the nearest sheriff's department station, which was a key factor. Thweatt told the reporter he knows of some other district that have since adopted similar policies, but declined to name them.
The article outlines how Harrold Board of Education members had to approve the measure. The guardian plan was researched for more than a year before the school board considered it, he said in the interview.
But Thweatt said he wanted to minimize casualties that could quickly increase while waiting for deputies. He didn't want a plan where you "lock yourself in your closet and hope that an intruder won't hurt you."
Still, the question on many people's mind: Are guns, kids and schools a good mix?
Jim Descher
7:22 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/17/3969206/2-topeka-police-officers-shot.html#storylink=omni_popular
Gosh...if only these police officers had been armed...
Greg Pugh
8:43 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
Open carry in a uniform made them more vulnerable than they would have been in plain clothes carrying concealed.
Stu Strickler
9:37 am on Monday, December 17, 2012
CCW should be allowed everywhere.
Marc Perez
1:39 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Everywhere you are legally allowed to be, yes.
FedUpVet
1:03 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Teachers who have taken the same firearms instruction as a police officer would be the best thing we could do. They need more than basic CCW training as they are there to protect others on a different legal level that that imposed by most CCW statutes.
This would have us closer to having a properly trained and responsible security system in place for our schools than any other way possible at this time.
David Coulter
1:15 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
About the only time police are on time for a crime is when their issuing traffic tickets most other crimes they are on the seen after the fact. Remember the second amendment and the part about "A well regulated Militia" I would believe arming teachers certainly would fall under that definition. Lets get some real security in our schools and other pulbic places.
Larry Lazar
1:18 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
I disagree completely. Police officers have years of training and it is their job to deal with potentially violent citizens and situations.
Teachers are trained to educate our youth.
How about if we let trained security experts handle security, and trained education experts handle teaching?
Marc Perez
1:42 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Larry, in a perfect world yes. The response time of the police may be 3-5 minutes, it may be 30 minutes. When seconds count minutes are too long. The present security, for scholls, theaters, shopping centers... are all too long when faced with an armed person who is committed to doing harm. There is room for cross training for those who desire to do so.
FedUpVet
1:55 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Having been to several Law Enforcement training facilities I can tell you that the average police officer does not receive "years of training." It's more like 20 hours of training in the average police academy at the beginning of their career. Then they re-qualify once or twice a year firing a few rounds. Those that receive substantially more training are not going to be guarding schools, shopping malls or other public areas. Those officers are assigned to different duties where specialized training is put to specialized use.
Larry Lazar
1:56 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Marc, in a "perfect world", we wouldn't be having a conversation about teachers packing heat while they teach 7 year olds how to read and write.
IMO, we are abandoning the idea that we live in a civil society when teachers need to carry guns. Instead of lifting society to a higher level, we continue to spiral downward - joining the ranks of Somalia and Afghanistan.
Marc Perez
2:00 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Larry, we don't live in a perfect world as you know. Acts of violence happen, every minute of every day. We can stick our heads in the sand and pretend it won't happen here or we can be proactive and be prepared. It's an armed country, in Missouri over 157,000 people have CCW endorsements. They don't get them for rabbitt hunting.
Larry Lazar
5:51 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Marc,
Yea, it is an "armed country". You seem to suggest that the solution to this problem is more arms. Guns for everyone! Teachers, Priests, convenience store workers, postal workers (oops, maybe not them) andall should pack and then we would ensure our safefy through mutually assured destruction.
Certainly all of these potential gun carryng folks are all well trained in the use of their arms and NONE of them have any pycshological problems (depression, ADHD, etc) at all. Yea, that sounds like a safe and security society.
Stu Strickler
2:13 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
We are gaining numbers every day, Marc. You are so correct, we may go hunting with handguns, but you do not need a License To Carry [LTC] for hunting!
Dennis Broadbooks
2:29 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
@Larry Lazar: Training a few teachers at each school how to handle a gun is no different than teaching a few educators in the basics of CPR. The hope is they'll never have to use what they've learned, but when that once in a lifetime incident occurs they're prepared to act.
Marc Perez
5:17 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
In 1957 bif you asked your doctor to teach you CPR he would say you are nuts, only advanced trained professionsal do that. 20 years ago if you were to say "normal" people should be allowed to carry a concealed firearm most would say you are nuts, only open carry is legal and only bad guys would hide their firearms. Now over 157,000 Missourians have CCW endorsements and municipalitgies are prohibiting open carry. What a world.....
Larry Lazar
5:40 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
@Dennis,
Yes it is. Giving a teacher a gun is a LOT different then training them in CPR.
Despite the best intention of the teacher, Guns can get taken from good people by bad people. It's not that hard to imagine a gun toting teacher being overwhelmed by some bad guy and having the gun taken. Your imagination can take it from there.
Or, perhaps the gun is in "Safe Storage" somewhere in the school. Certainly no one would ever be able to break into this storage location and take the gun. No, that would never happen.....
A teacher trained in CPR that happens to have a bad day won't "CPR" anyone to death. Teachers don't have bad days? have you ever spend the day with 25-30 six to 17 year olds? Teachers don't have mental problems? No, and neither to postal workers.
How about we keep guns and bullets out of our schools, eh? seems like a pretty reasonable idea.
FedUpVet
5:17 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Here's how teachers in Israel carry weapons. Children are also taught firearms safety there too.
http://www.standeyo.com/NEWS/12_Pics_of_Day/121214.pic.of.day.c.html
Larry Lazar
5:42 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Yea, that's what we want. Teachers carrying assault rifles while the teach. What a lesson that gives our kids.
And certainly no one would ever be able to overwhelm that teacher and take the gun. Oh no, that would never happen. I'm sure.
FedUpVet
6:10 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Unless she has a true physical disability prior to high school graduation, she's a veteran who is very adept at small arms and hand to hand combat. Everyone there serves, men and women when they graduate from high school. Those people face terror on a daily basis.
So do we (most Americans) but most put their heads in the ground like an ostrich and pretend things don't happen and embrace "feels good legislation" then when something bad happens, act if they had no idea it would ever happen here and seek knee jerk legislation that works as effectively as their ignorance did the first time around..
Marc Perez
6:44 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Here is a youtube video I highly recommend, it may change opinions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M1u0Byq5Qis
Larry Lazar
6:55 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
the only thing this video showed me is how easy it is to manipulate people with simple and appealing arguments. Extremely poor arguments, IMO, but I can see why they are appealing to some.
Marc Perez
6:58 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Larry you obviously didn't watch the whole video. I hope you never have to face the barrel of a firearm, I'd shed a tear for notice of your funeral, I'd rather not shed a tear for the person who may have assaulted you and paid the price.
Larry Lazar
7:13 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Marc, I watched every second of the video and I understand every point she made.
I also understand the each NRA talking point that is pulled out every time we face even more deaths of innocent kids and adults.
It's time we stop letting the NRA, otherwise known as the most influentional lobbying organization in the country, buy our political process while innocent kids continue to get massacred - just so the gun and ammo companies can take in more profits.
Enough is enough. No one is after your damn guns. It's time for reasonable restrictions on weapons that have no place in a civil society.
Caffeinated
7:17 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
"Enough is enough. No one is after your damn guns. It's time for reasonable restrictions on weapons that have no place in a civil society."
Well-stated.
FedUpVet
7:24 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Anyone who believes we live in a civil society is pretty well misinformed. Arm yourself with your beliefs and take a stroll through any of the bad neighborhoods on a warm weekend night and see how protected you are and how civil things around you are.
Larry Lazar
7:34 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
The civility of a society is a relative term. The US is among the most civil socities in the world, while countries like Somalia, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, etc, are the most uncivil.
I would hope we can retain our high status versus descending to the levels of Afghanistan- where, it seems, there is plenty of freedom to own whatever guns one wants.