All this debate over how to stop gun violence actually has produced reasonable discussion between those who think the country should enact more laws to control firearms and those who think existing laws are sufficient.
But one idea stands out as among the most bizarre to date: whether to allow school teachers to carry guns in the classroom. My own view? Absolutely not.
As the editorial attached to this blog notes, teachers should be trained to teach children not trained to carry a firearm and open fire at the sign of trouble.
The Texas Senate is considering a bill to pay for teacher training in firearms use. It’s been scaled back to a shadow of its former self. It ought to disappear completely.
The violence that erupted most recently in Newtown, Conn., has stirred emotional debate across the country. Congress is considering whether to broaden background checks on anyone seeking to buy a firearm. That proposal is beginning to gain some momentum, with senators in both parties agreeing on the principle. As U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., a darling of the conservative wing of his Republican Party, said this week: He doesn’t consider background checks to be “gun control.” Good for him.
Let’s stick to reasonable, rational debate on reasonable, rational solutions. Requiring background checks on those wishing to buy a gun will have zero impact on law-abiding citizens’ ability to arm themselves; thus, the Second Amendment remains intact.
Letting school teachers pack heat on their hips isn’t reasonable or rational. It’s fraught with too much peril in the event violence were to erupt yet again in one of our schools.