I have a crazy heavy file cabinet in my classroom

[dsc]

When I moved into the room I have now it took two of us with a dolly to move it. I am actually considering moving it close to my door so I can use it, if needed, to barricade the door. Our campus is several buildings which were built in the late 1960's. It is all but impossible to secure in any meaningful way. I just am disgusted that I am actually thinking about this. Our students can't have book bags. We have lock down drills. We have actually had a lock down already this year which fortunately was only tangentially related to us.

We have an armed deputy, one for a campus that has three buildings with several classrooms, two gym complexes that are separate buildings, and a cafeteria which is a separate building. Even our quite physically fit deputy would take at least 3 minutes to get from the furthest buildings. This school was built before mass shootings became a thing.

All of us are paying with our rights, for the crazy expansion of rights for a small minority of people who want any gun they can buy at any time and as many as possible. At what point to the rest of us get rights?

Will I move that cabinet, I don't know. It would be an inconvenient place for it, but safety tends to trump convenience unless it is the convenience of gun owners, that trumps all.

To clarify I am considering having it close enough to be knocked over and used to block it. I can, since I am fairly heavy, knock it over in a hurry.

[yardwork]

1. Very good point. What about our rights?

[Sherman A1]

2. I would look at moving the cabinet or

Other things that you can do to help secure your classroom. There will be no help coming from DC so you need to do what you can on your own.

[Yupster]

3. I was a teacher in the 80's

I think this is a time when older people like me need to speak out.

When e grew up more people had guns than have them now. There were fewer restrictions to people owning guns. In fact it was not unusual to see a 12 year old with a gun.

But there weren't these school shootings.

So what is different from now and then. It's up to us old people to say because the young people weren't there to say.

So what is different today?

fatherless families is the biggest difference I see.

So many boys on behavior modifying drugs.

fewer men working in schools.

Social media and cell phones.

Violent video games.

Just some of my ideas. We need old people to use their memories and say what's changed over their lifetimes.

[tblue37]

7. A good book about the social, cultural and psychological stresses the provoke mass shootings:

https://www.amazon.com/Going-Postal-Rebellion-Workplaces-Columbine/dp/1932360824/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518732032&sr=8-1&keywords=going+postal+mark+ames

Going Postal: Rage, Murder, and Rebellion: From Reagan's Workplaces to Clinton's Columbine and Beyond

[XRubicon]

4. Thank you for your service.

No snark, no sarcasm... thank you.

Maybe someday us civilians can help you by changing the laws to bring about real gun control.

[pnwmom]

5. But if it's so heavy, how could you move it in a crisis? n/t

[dsc]

6. I am considering having it right next to the door where it can be tipped over

I am, the unkind word is fat, and could almost certainly use my weight to topple it.

[Cha]

12. It sounds like a good idea

to me, dsc.

It's sad but only smart to think of all ways possible to thwart an attack on students and teachers.

What the heck about Fire Drills now? There will have to be special signals to know they're the real thing.

[druidity33]

13. That's actually pretty smart... just do it. Consider also

other routes of egress and ingress to the room (windows/other doors/ducts), best vantage point, most secure corner, potential shields and weapons from available resources. I used to know a guy who served as a recon patrol leader and everytime we went ANYWHERE he would assess all of these qualities in a room in quick succession... i used to think there was someone after him. Then i realised it was the only way he could be comfortable... he had to know these things right away. He was always the first person to spot trouble when we were at the bar or a club. I''l admit that having spent enough time with him i have a hard time sitting in a restaurant if i have my back to a window or door.

FWIW and as sad as this is to say, I look at this as a form of disaster preparedness. Be aware. Be safe. Be of Love. Good luck.

[dsc]

14. No windows but walls could be a problem as they aren't load bearing

the other thing with the cabinet would be that it might block a decent amount of the window in the door and thus make it harder for a shooter to see into the room.

[Cha]

8. That's what I was wondering?

[dsc]

9. see post 6

[Cha]

11. Thanks

[Cha]

10. So sorry, dsc, you all have

to go through this.