Parkland Commission Recommends Teachers Be Allowed To Carry Guns
Last edited Thu Jan 3, 2019, 10:13 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: The Guardian
The commission investigating the high school massacre in Parkland, Florida has included a recommendation in its preliminary report that classroom teachers who volunteer and undergo training should be allowed to carry guns in school.
The 15-member Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school public safety commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the 446-page report containing that proposal and a slew of other recommendations, many geared towards "hardening" schools as potential targets for mass shooters. The recommendations are now in the hands of outgoing state governor Rick Scott, governor-elect Ron DeSantis and the state legislature.
Other changes proposed include ensuring school classroom doors can lock from the inside, mandatory lockdown training for teachers, and funding to install bulletproof glass on all school windows by the year 2025.
Juliana Simone Carrasco, a high school student and volunteer with the campaign group Students Demand Action, said in response to the recommendation: "As a student attending school in Florida, I am appalled that the commission that was established to make schools in our state safer is recommending teachers carry guns." Carrasco added in a statement released by the Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group: "I don't want my teachers to be armed, I want my elected leaders to pass policies to keep guns out of the hands of people with dangerous intentions to begin with."
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/02/parkland-school-shooting-commission-report-teachers-carry-guns
Arming teachers has many critics. "There is no evidence that arming teachers makes kids safer," said Gay Valimont with FL Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "Our children deserve real solutions to keep them safe from gun violence - like a criminal background check on every gun sale - not policies that will put them at even higher risk."
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) have both rejected calls for arming teachers as an answer to gun violence, like the National Association of School Resource Officers.
The new recommendation is a very small part of the commission report, and advocates expanding a "guardian" program. School systems currently team with local sheriffs to arm eligible school employees. The program is voluntary, must be approved by the board and requires staff to complete 132 hours of comprehensive training.
Parkland student survivors with March for Our Lives demonstrate in Washington, DC.
Fred Guttenberg, father of a Parkland victim, presses FL Sen. Marco Rubio on gun control reform.
Canoe52
(2,949 posts)Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)...and their predictable recommendation was all we need is more gun nuts to keep us safe from the gun nuts.
They might as well just allowed the NRA to write the recommendation.
RockRaven
(14,990 posts)the idea that they magically have time and resources to be uniformly super-competent gun self-defense and gun safety hobbyists to a degree which would out-weigh the inevitable accidents/etc is f--ing insane. People who argue otherwise sound very innumerate. There's a lot of f--king teachers in this country. A miniscule percent accident rate would still be a s--t-ton of accidents. Compared to the rarity of the opportunity to intervene in a school shooting even if one were armed... C'mon.
And that's before we account for this fantasy that every teacher is going to be James Bond or John Wayne and only shoot the bad guy. Shall we all forget that at a recent mass shooting the police officer fatality was killed by... wait for it... other officers' gunfire? So it happens to cops, but teachers will magically be immune from that happening?
Never mind that allowing teachers to carry guns, even in this fantasy "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun" scenario, DOES NOT REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. Arming teachers only affects what happens after the shooting begins. Even in this ridiculous hypothetical it just ends school shootings with a reduced number of victims per shooting. Talk about setting the bar lower than low...
sarge43
(28,942 posts)They run about 25% of the total rate. So, one of those armed teacher probably kill or wound a student, another teacher or someone.
forgotmylogin
(7,530 posts)appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)DailyKos. Gun violence in America feels like an endless cycle of problems and abuse. Many people feel at a loss to know how to take action to reduce gun violence that will offer tangible results. After all, we know all too well that thoughts and prayers dont save lives.
> One intriguing solution some people are testing out? Buying into the gun companies themselves. Why? So they can bring their voices directly to the table and advocate for stricter gun control and gun safety laws.
> For example, the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts decided to buy 200 shares of stock in American Outdoor Brands. The company is the Springfield, Massachusetts-based parent company of Smith & Wesson. The diocese decided this via vote last week. (It has not yet voted to buy stock in any other gunmakers). Why 200? There was a definite strategy here: Its the minimum amount of shares you need to buy in order to place initiative questions on the ballot presented at the shareholders annual meeting. And this is exactly where they hope to make some changes.
MORE, https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/2/1822990/-These-church-groups-are-fighting-back-against-gunmakers-with-their-money
fleabiscuit
(4,542 posts)B Stieg
(2,410 posts)More guns is never the answer.
appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)angrychair
(8,732 posts)And armed teachers in a classrooms kids cannot get out of...so who do we arm to protect kids from armed teachers?
no_hypocrisy
(46,160 posts)keithbvadu2
(36,880 posts)Teacher ready to serve. Margaret Thistlewhacker packing, reporting for duty.
appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)Initech
(100,099 posts)NickB79
(19,258 posts)Good luck on a school district getting any insurance policies with guns on the premises carried by anyone other than security guards.