If it wasn’t in print, you would have thought it was pure satire. A Nebraskan senator wants to pass a bill that would allow teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons for protection.
And that will achieve what?
Sen. Christensen explains his proposal: “I think it’s a local decision, but I think it’s important if you think about a situation that opens up where someone gets shot, that particular individual can continue shooting until police arrive. Or, you could have a security guard armed or administration—whatever you would choose to do locally to defend the situation. It would probably take care of it quickly,” he said.
The notion that the higher the proportion of people carrying guns the lower the rate of shootings is false and utterly preposterous. Teachers in certain schools face shamefully bad conditions. School shootings do occur and should never be underplayed. But arming the caregiver, is the worst possible response to the problem.
Schools have to deal with the issue through constructive strategies and the safety of teachers must be considered at all times. But teachers are there to model positive behaviour and good decisions. They must be there for their students. A teacher that carries around a gun is distancing himself from all his students. The gun becomes a representation of an “us vs them” mentality which regardless of the teacher’s school or environment, does not belong in our great profession.
Meanwhile, Christensen is convinced he’s on to a winner:
Christensen doesn’t think giving people guns can become a problem.
“I’ve never seen a gun escalate a situation,” said Christensen, “Guns don’t kill people, people do. You’ve gotta have an individual that’s out of control and at that point in time, you can have someone be shot.”
Here’s my advice for any teacher hoping to one day bring a concealed weapon into their classroom. Find another profession … quickly!
Topical Teaching 