One-Sixteenth

See, I'm at a point of wanting to allow (willing) teachers to carry concealed weapons.

I'm all for armed guards, a lot of our schools here already have them. I think arming teachers has a huge potential for backfiring on the teacher. Interesting about teaching the kids to fight back, I'm not sure how I feel about that. Thanks for giving me something to think about, though.

Mark, I really don't know. Here's how it would have to work, for me: First, as you said, the teacher would have to be willing. Second, I'd want them to have training above and beyond the general concealed carry training. I'd also want them to have background checks above and beyond the regular teacher background checks. Those would be my bare minimum requirements.

If they could do a damned good job of making sure the people with the guns were responsible, competent and cool under pressure, okay. But I've known too many teachers. (And I don't mean you, Kellie. I would absolutely trust you with both a gun and my kids. But I really want to hear your thoughts, in particular, on arming teachers.)

I'm with you absolutely. No, I wouldn't want barely trained teachers walking around armed, but I don't see the problem with an armed guard. Our high school had a police officer on the school grounds. I don't see the problem with that, though I regret the need.

But mostly, YES, teach the teachers and the kids to fight back. Hell, that's one of the things that I hate most about public schools, the victim mentality that comes along with being told that you're not SUPPOSED to protect yourself, that you wait for the authorities to come save your ass. BS. It might even solve some other problems-- a kick in the crotch has cured more bullies than a talk with the teacher.

And if I continue this rant, it will continue to get further off topic, so I'll leave it at that. :)

I don't think it would be a bad idea for teachers to be armed, on the grounds that I don't think that it would be a bad idea for all citizens to be armed at almost all times.

As to fighting back, though, what really worries me is that we have to teach this. All of our breeding and ancestry that has enabled us to survive to this point comes from our ability to survive, and part of that survival skill is simply being willing and able to defend ourselves against a mortal threat. Yet not only here, but on hijackings prior to 9/11 and on issues today like the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, we have somehow convinced ourselves that it is better to let a mortal threat grow and fester rather than to respond to it. That's just dumb, and goes against my every survival instinct.

Should we teach the kids and teachers to fight back? Yes, definitely. But we should not have to: it should be automatic.