Should We Arm Teachers?

Texas Governor Rick Perry leading by example (courtesy of Slate.com)

At a tea party event this past Monday, Texas Republican governor and former presidential wannabe Rick Perry said that anyone with a concealed weapon permit should be allowed to carry their guns on public property. This includes school property, too.

“In the state of Texas, with our concealed handgun license, if you have been duly backgrounded and trained and you are a concealed handgun license carrying individual, you should be able to carry your handgun anywhere in this state,” said Perry. He added that teachers with the proper license and training should have “access to weapons in their school.”

Is it me, or does this sound like another accident waiting to happen?

Oddly enough, there is already one school district in Texas that allows teachers to be strapped: the Harrold school district northwest of Dallas. Beginning in 2008, employees officially licensed to carry firearms could do so on school property.

It seems to me that the solution to school gun violence is not to simply add more guns to the equation. Now instead of having a lone gunman walking the hallways, you will have teachers armed to the teeth either waiting in their classrooms to shoot any intruders or searching the school for the culprit. This potentially adds to the number of bullets whizzing by and opens the door for all kinds of accidental shootings, as well.

For me, the best way to prevent massacres like the one in Connecticut is to focus on several specific areas:

The new breed of teachers? (courtesy of Inquisitr.com)

First, we must provide schools with the resources they need to keep students safe, like panic buttons, locking and perhaps even bulletproof doors and such. And yes, every school should have some kind of active shooter protocol to follow if they don’t already.

Second, we must train people to report odd, unusual or disturbing behavior the moment they observe it. I don’t care if it’s your son, friend, cousin, uncle, milk man or gas station attendant. If someone acts like they could be a danger to themselves or others, then someone should report them to the authorities. Better safe than sorry, if you ask me.

Finally, we as a nation need to examine very closely how we approach and handle mental illness. More and more people seem to be suffering from some type of disorder these days, and simply prescribing a “magic pill” to solve their problems doesn’t seem very effective. These individuals need more involved and thoughtful treatment, and they also need to be monitored more closely. Granted, this would require more resources, but if it saves lives, then wouldn’t the added cost be worth it?

Sorry for getting on my soapbox, but Governor Perry kind of set me off with his ridiculous notion. I guess this is just another example of why he never became the GOP candidate for president. If he had, then teachers all over the nation would be packing heat!