School Shootings – It’s Time For Teachers Themselves to Act
Valuewalk May 26, 2022
Rather than continuing to wait for governments to act to reduce school shootings by enacting laws which may not even be effective if ever adopted, teachers should act now to protect themselves and their students, argues public interest law professor John Banzhaf, who suggests three simple, proven, and effective steps they can and should take now, without further delay and needless risk of death or serious injury.
Some teachers - especially those who are already trained and licensed to carry concealed firearms - should have them in school on their person, or at least within easy reach in a secure gun safe in a classroom desk.
The mere posting of signs in the school - "WARNING; Some Teachers Have Guns" - should provide significant deterrence to many potential shooters, even if only a few teachers, whose identity will not be known to the students, actually have them.
Equally important, since law enforcement officials often take at least several minutes to arrive - and far longer in rural areas and some neighborhoods - an armed teacher already in the building can take effective action with a gun much more quickly, thereby slashing the number of deadly shots which can be fired by the intruder.
Teachers have occasionally attacked gunmen, with some losing their lives or suffering injuries, but even a small handgun in trained hands is much more effective than approaching a shooter with a chair, pole, or even bare hands.
The federal program under which some commercial airline pilots carry guns, even though they themselves are largely protected in the cockpit, shows that arming responsible and trained individuals who are not law enforcement personnel is safe, and does not led to wrongful shootings, intentional or negligent.
Reportedly some 20 states already authorize teachers who have received special training to carry a gun in the classroom, so the idea is neither farfetched or untested.
Even in the absence of such laws, many teachers already have a CCW [carrying a concealed weapon] permit. So, unless the law prohibits CCW licensed teachers from having a weapon in a school, they should not surrender their weapons - as well as their safety and the safety of others - when on school grounds.
If school authorities ban guns, teachers and concerned parents should press for a change in policy.
If teachers cannot or do not want to carry a gun, there is a viable alternative.
More:
https://www.valuewalk.com/school-shootings-its-time-for-teachers-themselves-to-act/
